Heraldic Mage
by Ariana aka Nereid
Summary: Story from Celine's POV. Some characters out of character. Will not complete
1. Default Chapter

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
Life worth living;  
Magic all around;  
Still you see;  
Your destiny can't be found.  
  
  
Celine walked out of her house. As she turns away, she hears her mother calling her again.  
"Celine!! You still have to look at all these!!" Her mother Labe comes out with a handful of pictures of different men. Celine just looks at her, then turns her back.   
"Mother, I am not marrying yet. And it certainly won't be to one of them." She seethes. Then she uses her fireball spell to burn the pictures. Labe stands there in shock.   
"Celine..."  
"I have told you I will marry when I am ready. I am a treasure hunter. I am too busy right now." As she finishes, she heads to the gates of the town. Her father Eglas comes out and watches.   
"Not again... she will not settle down..." he says. "Why is our daughter so?"  
"I don't know... but she won't be persuaded. I suppose there is nothing left." Labe says. Then they go back into the house.   
  
Celine stops just outside of the town. She looks back, then sighs. "Why me?" she asks the air. "Oh well. Maybe now they will get the idea. I can't be pushed around." She heads for the city of Herlie. Her favorite shops are there, and she needs a new rod anyway. Around the field are many monsters, but they are no match for her Fireball and Thunderbolt. she wonders, She is relieved when she finally makes it to the city. 


	2. ch. 2

Oops.. I forgot this in the last chapter. I don't own Star Ocean.  
  
Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Life alone;  
  
Do you feel the pain?  
  
Always running;  
  
And back again.   
  
  
  
  
  
Celine enters the city with here usual excitement. As usual, the place is alive!! Many   
of the shops have decided to open outside today to take advantage of the nice weather. Celine   
quickly finds what she came for, then turns to the other shops.   
  
"Hmmm... I could use some new earrings... or maybe that pendant?" She looks at the jewelry   
laid out at the counter. The clerk comes up.  
  
"See anything you like?"  
  
"Yes, that's the problem." Celine replies with a smile. The clerk beams.   
  
"Take your time, we are open until 11pm."  
  
"Thank you." Celine continues to look around, then something catches her eye. An Emerald   
Ring! That would look great on her, and also allow her to cast more spells!! She waves the   
clerk over.  
  
  
  
  
  
Celine finally leaves Herlie. She has some business in Cross, and she can't waste any   
more time. She has the emerald ring on her finger and is admiring it. (A/N: I know she doesn't   
start with this. But I don't care.) As she walks, she encounters more monsters. But this time,   
they are appearing in groups. Celine can barely get all of them with her spells before they get   
to her. After about 5 of these run-ins, she is exhausted. Since she is close to Mars, she   
doesn't see much of a choice but to go back for a bit.   
  
She intentionally enters from the gate closest to the inn. She knows that this will also   
bring her close to her house, but she is hopeful that she can get to the inn first. She doesn't   
want to deal with her parents right now. In her room, she lays out on the bed. Her staff and   
cloak are on the wall.   
  
"Why do they do this to me?" She wonders. "They know I am a grown woman, so why do they   
insist I need to marry? I can take perfectly good care of myself." With these thoughts, she   
falls asleep.   
  
  
  
**Next Morning**  
  
  
  
Celine walks down to the first floor. The innkeeper greets her, and she returns it. As   
she leaves, she pulls out a piece of paper. Then she leaves the village and heads for Clik.   
  
A pretty town, if not as lively as Herlie. Click is a small harbor, a great port if you   
are going to El. However, all traffic there has stopped. Celine was going to go treasure   
hunting over there, she had heard of a plain where you could find anything. But when she reached   
the port itself, she was stopped.   
  
"Sorry, you can't cross without a passport from the King." The captain said.   
  
"Since when was that announced?" Celine asked.   
  
"Since the Sorcery Globe landed, where have you been?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ever since that thing landed, the monsters have been getting stronger, and El is almost   
completely taken over. You really don't want to go there. Trust me on this one. Now why don't   
you go find your husband and go home." Celine seethed. But she left anyway.   
  
She thought. I needed that stuff... how am I going to get enough for that auction? I WANT THAT MAP!! She turned to the hotel in the area, and decided   
that since she really couldn't do anything else, she would at least spend the day sightseeing. 


	3. ch. 3

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Long ago;  
  
A day away;  
  
The friends you had;  
  
Have gone to stay.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Celine finally made a hard decision. She went to a shop in Click and sold all of her   
jewelry. After she did this, she hoped that she would have enough for that map. As she is   
leaving, she hears someone yelling. Out on the plaza, she sees someone attracting a huge crowd.   
Curious, she decides to see what is going on.  
  
  
  
"The Sorcery Globe will kill us all!! There is no escape!!" The young girl was saying.   
"We must all prepare for our journey to the heavens!! Tria awaits us!!"  
  
Celine wonders where she got these ideas. She just shakes her head and walks out of the   
town. she thinks. She leaves and heads for the castle town of Cross. Yet again, she encounters many   
monsters. She is   
able to make it to the town before nightfall. She enters Cross quickly, not interested in how   
the monsters, and their newfound aggression, would treat a traveler at night. At the inn, she   
pays for her room. The auction is tomorrow. she   
thinks angrily.   
  
  
  
The morning brings excitement. Celine is naturally an early riser, and she is awake and   
aware by about 7am. She gathers her belongings and leaves the inn. There are few people about,   
but the organizers of the auction are already setting up. She approaches one of them.  
  
"Excuse me, darling..." The man looks up at her.   
  
"What can I do for you Miss?"  
  
"I was wondering when the auction started. Could you tell me?"  
  
"Of course. Starts at 1pm sharp."  
  
"Thank you very much." Celine leaves and heads for the castle.   
  
  
  
  
  
**Inside the castle**  
  
  
  
Celine walks around exploring. This is the first time she has had any real opportunity   
to do so. As she is walking around, she overhears some guards speaking. She stops, and pretends   
to be admiring one of the castle's paintings.  
  
"They are doing what?" One of the guards says.  
  
"They have an introduction from the Mayor of Arlia. That is a special feat."  
  
"Arlia? That backwater town?"  
  
"Apparently, the King is familiar with one of them... but Mayor Regis doesn't give those   
introductions lightly... something must be up."  
  
"So they are actually pushing people back?"  
  
"They are to be considered 'special guests' and are being admitted as soon as possible."  
  
"Wow. Nice to have some pull, huh?" Celine heard enough.   
  
"Like it?" Celine turns quickly to find one of the maids speaking directly to her. She   
quickly improvises.   
  
"Yes, very much... too bad I couldn't take it home... heh,heh." The maid smiles.   
  
"It was brought over by the new Princess when she wed. It gives this hallway a brighter   
look, don't you think?"  
  
"Of course... I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have the time?"  
  
"Yes... it is about 10:30."  
  
"Oh dear, I didn't mean to be here that long, I must be going." Celine leaves, but she   
can't resist. She goes over to one of the side entrances to the throne room and peeks in. Since   
she isn't being disruptive, the guard just watches her. Her eyes go wide when she sees the   
"special guests".   
  
As she listens, she hears their   
purpose. When the audience ends, she leaves   
quickly. She is glad they didn't see her. She goes back out to the town proper and looks at the   
time. She just made it to the auction. She takes a seat and begins.   
  
The auctioneer begins with other stuff... medicine that will cure anything, a pill that   
supposedly make you not need food for weeks, and other assorted items. Finally, near the end,   
the map comes up. Celine immediately comes up. Soon, only her and one other man are left, but   
she still has some money. The man looks at her, and finally recognizes her as a user of   
Heraldry. He backs down. Celine won. However, the Heraldic Wizard who runs the auction comes   
up.   
  
"You witch!!" Celine is unperturbed.   
  
"Is something wrong, sir?" She says in her sweetest voice. But he isn't going for it.   
  
"Hand over the map!"   
  
"Why? I won it fair and square."  
  
"You only won because of trickery!"  
  
Celine seethes. "Trickery?! I think not my dear wizard."  
  
The wizard is even madder. "Hand it over you witch!"  
  
"Excuse me." Both of them turn to see a young blond haired boy. Celine recognizes him as   
the one who just had an audience with the king.   
  
"What do you want boy?!" The wizard says.   
  
"That is no way to speak to a lady."  
  
"WHAT!!" Celine represses the urge to laugh.   
  
The boy continues. "Please behave more like a gentleman."   
  
"Now you will die too!!" Celine feels that was enough.  
  
"Back off." She says. "You had something to say to me didn't you?"  
  
The Wizard is really mad now. "Now you are really going to die." He begins to chant for   
a spell. Celine recognizes it, and out of the corner of her eye she can see that the boy, even   
if he isn't familiar with the Heraldic Arts, knows something bad is happening. She has a very   
easy way to stop it. Very quickly, she pulls up her own Fireball spell and interrupts the   
Wizard. The spell blows up in his face.   
  
"Next time you want a fight, choose your opponent wisely." The wizard doesn't even give   
her a second glance, but just leaves.   
  
Celine makes sure the map is undamaged, and then turns to the boy and his female   
companion. "Thank you very much. You have some guts for going up to him like that."  
  
The boy blushes. His companion just rolls her eyes.   
  
"I don't believe we have been introduced." She says. Celine realizes it for herself as   
well.   
  
"Why, so we haven't! I'm dreadfully sorry, I completely forgot my manners!! My name is   
Celine Jules, and I am a treasure hunter."  
  
"I'm Rena Lanford. This is my friend Claude Kenni." The female says. Celine gives a   
small bow in each direction.   
  
"What was that about anyway?" Claude asks. Celine just sighs.   
  
"I won, they didn't want to admit it. That about sums it up." She sighs. She had to   
give up a lot of her belongings to get the money for this map. She never realized that they   
would accuse her of cheating to get it. She looks at it, then gets an idea.   
  
"Forgive me for asking, but didn't you just have an audience with the King?" Rena and   
Claude look at each other, then back to her.   
  
"How..." Claude begins.   
  
"I was visiting the palace, and I overheard some guards talking about delaying audiences   
for two special guests. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I went and looked."  
  
"I told you I felt we were being watched." Claude said to Rena. Rena laughs. Celine   
feels that this is the best time to ask.   
  
"I hope you don't think me rude, but how would you like to come with me on a treasure   
hunt? I will give you part of whatever we find."  
  
The two look at each other. "Sorry," Claude says, "We have more important things to do   
than search for treasure."  
  
Celine's mind works fast. I can't keep this up. Those monsters are getting stronger...   
WAIT!! "But maybe you will find something to help you on your own quest."  
  
Rena and Claude consult for a moment, then turn back. "Well, perhaps you're right.   
Sure, then. We would be honored."   
  
"GREAT!!" Celine says excitedly. Claude gives her a weird look, and Rena stifles a   
giggle. Celine sweatdrops. I really didn't mean to do that... She thinks. "Well, let's look   
at the map." She rolls it out.   
  
Rena comes around so she can see. "Wait, isn't this a map of Cross Cave? It has already   
been completely explored."  
  
"Actually, if you look over here..." Celine points to a section of the map. "This has   
never appeared on the other maps. That is where the treasure is."  
  
Claude looks up. "Well, then. Let's get equipped and get going!"   
  
"Yes," Celine says. "And we can leave first thing in the morning." 


	4. ch. 4

Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I will own it. On the 3rd day of never.   
  
  
  
Claude, Rena, and Celine walk out of the weapons shop with their equipment. Since Claude   
and Rena had received money from the king, they were able to get her some armor as well. Celine   
promised them that she would pay them back for it as soon as possible. As they head for Cross   
Cave, the monsters do their best to make everyone's lives miserable. However, since Celine isn't   
alone anymore, she finds that she doesn't need to worry as much. Claude is pretty good with a   
sword. Rena, she notices, doesn't seem to do much of anything. she wonders. They finally make it to the entrance to the cave, and take a quick   
break. None of the monsters did any decent damage, but all adding up and Claude really needed a   
break. Rena provided it for him.   
  
Rena begins to chant a spell unfamiliar to Celine. She looks at her strangely, but   
doesn't interrupt.   
  
"CURE LIGHT!" Rena shouts the trigger. A light surrounds Claude, and all of his wounds   
are healed. Celine looks at them in shock.   
  
"How... how can you do that?" she asks. Rena turns to her.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asks.   
  
"In the Heraldic Arts, there is no recovery..." Celine explains.   
  
"Oh, that... I don't really know myself. I've always been able to use it." Rena looks   
inside the cave. "Shall we?" They enter.   
  
  
  
  
  
**Cross Cave**  
  
  
  
The joys of being in a cave... dark, dreary, wet, and did we mention dark? Celine walks   
along trying to follow the map, but it is really hard to see. And of course, the monsters have   
taken a liking to it and have decided to make it home. Great...  
  
After about 2 hours of searching, the group comes on a dead end.   
  
"Great, this worked..." Claude said. Celine is twisting the map around trying to get   
some bearing. Then she sees it.   
  
"We needed to go left... not right... oops..." Claude and Rena just sigh. They backtrack   
and eventually end up in a room with a green glowing pillar. And no other exit. Claude runs   
ahead and looks around.   
  
"There's nothing here..." he says.  
  
"But..." Celine is in shock. "The map says the treasure room is right after this room?!"  
  
"Are you sure?" Rena asks. Celine gives her a dirty look.   
  
"YES." She responds. Rena backs up a step. "Sorry dear. I just can't believe this..."   
  
"Are you sure it's real?" Claude asks. "Is it a fake?"  
  
Celine doesn't want to even think about that possibility. "It... it can't be..."   
**sweatdrop**  
  
Rena just sighs. Claude comes over to Celine. "Can I see it for a sec?" He asks.   
Celine holds it out for him to see. As he examines it, he finds something. "What's this? A   
spell?" Celine looks where he is pointing, and there is something written there.   
  
"You're right Claude darling... I'll try it right away." She goes over to the pillar,   
and chants the spell. The ground starts to rumble, then there is a flash of light. When it   
fades, a new exit appears. They all rush to it.   
  
  
  
In the new room, they find some treasure chests. Celine is really happy. she thinks. Claude goes over to open one of them, and is somehow thrown back. Then 2   
gargoyles come down and attack.   
  
Stopping there for now. Sorry it's short. 


	5. ch. 5

Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it... hell I haven't beaten it yet... (stupid Fienal)  
  
  
I am going to switch formats a bit. I am changing to 1st person POV. I think this well allow for   
more freedom with this story. Sorry if it is confusing.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
%%%%%%%%%$$$$$$$$$$$$###############  
  
  
  
  
  
I think. The monsters are coming right for us. As I look to the others, Claude   
has his sword out, and Rena seems to have backed off. I think. I rip off my   
spells as fast as I can, but we are not even slowing them down. Rena is healing Claude during his   
battles, they are ignoring me and ganging up on him. I have to find a way to draw their   
attention. I start concentrating on one of them, throwing Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt at it.   
It still ignores me, maybe thinking I'm no threat. But even in the battle... something... is   
swelling in me... what? Rena is still frantically healing Claude. Then something comes into my mind... a chant. I start with the new chant.   
  
"RAY!!" I scream. I see mini expolsions from all around the area. Of course, myself,   
Claude and Rena are unharmed. But the monsters take some serious damage. I can't help but   
smile, but it fades as they decide that I am worth going after. They both head toward me, claws   
out and teeth ready. I begin to power up another spell, but Claude is quick and nails them from   
behind. This time, they go down. I sink to my knees. I think.   
Claude is saying something to me, but I can't really hear it... I am still overwhelmed by what   
just happened. I feel a soft presense around me, and I can see some kind of light in my eyes. I   
think that is Rena's healing spell. Claude tries to look at my face. I am shaking and can't   
look them in the eye just yet. I've never come that close to dying... I just need a moment...  
  
"CELINE!!!" Rena screams in my ear. I am jolted and look at her. "Are you alright?" she   
asks. She sounds worried.   
  
"I... have never..." I can't keep the shaking out of my voice. This treasure better be   
worth it. After a few moments of rest, we look through the treasure boxes. Money, a book, a   
shield (A/N: I don't remember what is in them... so I'll make up some fillers), and then the one   
I came in here for... the Ancient Writings of early Expel. I carefully take them out of the box.   
They are incased in their own box, which will make it easier to carry. Claude and Rena come   
over to me.   
  
"THAT is what we came for?" Claude says. I just nod. This is the greatest treasure I   
have ever found! As we are leaving, I try to read some of it. I finally give up. I just can't read it.   
We, of course, have   
to fight our way out. At the entrance, I stop and turn to them.   
  
"I simply must thank you for your help. I don't believe I could have gotten in if it   
wasn't for you."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it." Rena says. Claude nods his assent.   
  
"Well, we found nothing about the Sorcery Globe..." Claude says a bit sad. I stand there   
in shock. I had completely forgotten about that. I look down, trying to think of something   
which would help them. But Rena speaks first.   
  
"I have an idea! Why don't you come with us Celine?" I look at her in shock, as does   
Claude.   
  
"Wha?" Is all I can get out. She wants ME to come? I notice that she is beginning go get   
nervous. "Why me?" I ask.  
  
"No reason..." she stammers. "I just thought it would be comforting to have your   
Heraldic Arts." She is beet red. I can't help but smile. Then I think a moment.   
  
"Well, if you both agree," I say, "Then maybe I will come with you."   
  
We finally leave, but instead of going to Cross, we head to Clik. 


	6. The story of Clik

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. In fact, if anyone can tell me how to beat the two idiots on I believe it is the 4th or 5th floor on Fienal, I would really appreciate it… stupid jerks..  
  
For the person who asked me about the Prince of Cross PA, I am not really sure what you mean… I may have seen it but don't remember it… sorry.  
  
  
  
STORY TIME!!  
  
  
  
We walk away from the cavern. It feels good to be out in the sunlight. Especially after how dark and wet and just plain icky it was in there… That had to be one of my worse treasure hunts. As we head for Clik, we try to figure out how to carry the book, since I need to help them with my Heraldy. We finally put into what Claude calls a "backpack". Since Claude is doing the main fighting, Rena and myself take turns carrying it. Which turns out to be a good thing, because the monsters decide that it is time to try to get us to "come to dinner". We can't even go 10 feet without being attacked. By the time we finally make it, it is almost dark. We quickly hurry into the gates. We just made it; the guards shut them behind us. We head to the inn, and get 2 rooms. Claude goes into one while me and Rena take the other one. We both collapse on the beds. I turn to her.  
  
"Tell me this isn't what we will be doing every day…" I ask. She gives me a grim smile. The fact that she didn't say anything means that we will be getting worse. Great I think. They are attacking in groups, and we only have one fighter. This isn't going to work.  
  
"So what do you think Celine?" Rena says.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"The Sorcery Globe. What do you think it is?"  
  
A royal pain… "I don't really know. But I don't like it." Rena just nods. She stares at the ceiling for a moment.  
  
"Claude will need help…" I look at her.  
  
"How so?" I ask. She sighs.  
  
"Both of us are mages. We need another fighter to relieve some of the burden on Claude." I think it over. She's right.  
  
"So where do we go?" I ask her.  
  
"I have no idea." She says. She looks outside. "We should get some sleep."  
  
"All right." I say. I lay down, too tired to even change except to take off my robe.  
  
  
  
**Next morning**  
  
"I know what I felt Rena." I hear Claude's voice outside of the room. I slowly open my eyes. The sun is just coming up. I jump out of bed and grab my Heraldy robe. After it is on, I walk out into the hallway. Rena and Claude look like they are having a little fight.  
  
"I didn't feel anything Claude." Rena says. She turns and sees me. "You didn't feel an earthquake last night did you?" she asks. I frown at the question.  
  
"Not that I remember…" I say cautiously. I don't want to be in the middle of a fight. They say that friendly fire is more dangerous than enemy fire.  
  
"See?" Rena says to Claude. "You are worrying over nothing."  
  
"I hope so…" Claude says. We gather our belongings and head down to the dock.  
  
  
  
As we approach, my heart sinks. The same idiot who refused to let me pass before is on duty again. Great. My day is off to a splendid start. But I don't shirk back. With Rena in the lead, we head up to him.  
  
"Excuse me," Rena begins, "We need passage to Clik."  
  
"You need a passport from the King." He says. He sees me and rolls his eyes. I'm SO glad to see him too.  
  
"You mean this passport?" Claude says handing it to him. The old sailor looks at it, then at us.  
  
"Well I'll be… you HAVE one… This changes everything."  
  
Claude steps forward. "When does the ship leave?"  
  
"When she's loaded and supplied." The sailor responds.  
  
"So that means soon." The sailor looks at us a moment.  
  
"Not as soon as you are hoping." He says. "Why don't you do some sightseeing while you are here?"  
  
"Fine." Rena says. We head back to the main square. As we are walking over to the benches, a little kid runs past us knocking over Rena. Claude makes a vain grab for him, then he is gone. I go over and help Rena up.  
  
"Are you all right Rena sweetheart?" I ask her.  
  
"I'm fine." She says. She frowns as she looks around. "Uh-oh…"  
  
"What is it?" Claude asks.  
  
"My purse is missing!" Oh no! That was where all of our money was! The kid must have stolen it. Claude voices it.  
  
"Now, Claude," Rena says, "You don't know for sure…"  
  
"We will have to find him to know, won't we darlings." I say. We begin to search.  
  
  
  
**almost 1 hour later**  
  
We finally find out who the boy is and where we can find him. Sure enough, as we approach the warehouse in the north part of town, there he is. Claude walks up to him and grabs his shoulder.  
  
"Give us back our money!" He yells. The child is visibly frightened. He tries to shrink back, but Claude has a firm grip.  
  
"I don't know about any money!" the kid practically screams. "Let go!"  
  
"Claude, you're scaring him…" Rena says. Claude reluctantly lets go. Rena goes up to him.  
  
"If you don't know about our money, fine. But if you do we need to know." The child thinks this over. "We are on a long journey, and we need our money."  
  
The kid sweats a bit. Good, let him. I know that is cruel, but he deserves it. But what he says next absolutely shocks me.  
  
"You can travel with THAT much?" He says. Claude is on him in a heartbeat.  
  
"I KNEW IT!!" He yells. The child cowers back and starts stammering something.  
  
"Claude!" Rena reprimands. Claude doesn't even blink. Rena walks back over to the child.  
  
"We won't be mad if you give it back." She says. Fat chance, I think. The child needs to be punished. He gives back the money.  
  
"OK," Claude says. "Now what?" The kid is nervous. Claude gets a bright idea. "How about if you give us a tour of Clik?"  
  
"What?" the kid says.  
  
"We've never been here, so it would be perfect if we got a tour from a native."  
  
"Claude, that's a great idea!!" Rena says.  
  
I am more skeptical. "That is a punishment where you come from?" I hate to see what they do to real criminals.  
  
"I can do it!" the kid says.  
  
"Great! My name is Claude, what's yours?"  
  
"Ketil!!"  
  
"I'm Rena." Rena gives a small bow as she introduces herself. Pretty formal to a kid.  
  
"I'm Celine. Charmed I'm sure." I say dryly. And so we begin our tour.  
  
Since Clik is small, the tour doesn't last long… I cant' believe the kid got me to try on that stupid outfit. I looked so… so… I can't even describe it! At least I got some revenge at the restaurant, where he got Rena to try that awful soup. Poor Rena needs something for her breath. I smile at the memory. After we find Ketil some playmates, we head back to the dock. The captain looks up as we approach.  
  
"We're about ready to leave." He says.  
  
"That's great!" Claude says.  
  
"We still have some cargo, so why don't you go make sure you have everything you need." We thank him again and head back to the central square. Just after we enter it, the ground starts to shake.  
  
"Did you feel that?" Claude says. Rena and I both nod. A moment later, another one comes, much stronger. The whole town is in panic. We run for high ground. When we look back, we can only watch as the entire town comes crashing to the ground. Some were able to make it up to safety. But it looks like many others couldn't. Oh dear.  
  
"Captain!" Claude shouts. Sure enough, when I look over the captain is standing not far from us, looking over the sea. He turns to us.  
  
"I see you are all right. Wish I was…" He sounds so sad.  
  
"So now what? We need to get to El." Claude says.  
  
The old sailor just sighs. "Here," he says. "I better give this back to you." He gives our passport to Claude. "If you really need to, you can still cross. But it will be the long way."  
  
"Fine." We say.  
  
"You can cross from Herlie to Lacour. If you can get permission from the King of Lacour, you can get to El from there." He looks down. "You may want to stop in Mars first though. You won't be able to get supplies here anymore."  
  
"Thank you." Rena starts up to the highest point. Claude and I look at each other and follow her. When we are about halfway up…  
  
"OH NO!!" Someone shouts. We look over the water. A massive tsunami wave is heading right for the town! Within moments, the entire town is completely underwater. The city is forever gone. We look up and see Rena coming down.  
  
"What is it?" Claude asks.  
  
"Ketil is up there. He's all right!"  
  
"What about his mother?" I ask. Rena nods.  
  
"The person watching him said that she had left Clik before the quake." I sigh. That's a relief.  
  
"Well, I guess we should head for Mars now…" Claude says. We carefully make our way back to the mainland and begin heading for my hometown. I would be lying if I said I was happy to be going home.  
  
  
  
To be continued… 


	7. Arrival at Mars and some disturbing news...

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it.  
  
Thank you for explaining the Prince of Cross PA. I had seen the first part of it, but I never went back to finish it. I may do that as a separate story, but for this one I am trying to keep it more in a novel form, which means the PA's won't show up much. But thanks again.  
  
  
  
Story:  
  
The monsters are getting more and more aggressive. By the time we finally reach Mars, Claude is completely exhausted. I am beginning to think that Rena was right, we do need another fighter to relieve Claude's burden. We enter the village, ready to hit the inn. But something is not right. I can't quite put my finger on it though. We head to the Elder's house to ask him to look at the writings we found in the cave. He is very intelligent, and knows many languages. He may be able to read it, at least more than we can. But when we enter, my heart sinks. My mother and father are both there, as are the village Elder and a Master of Heraldy. There is also another man I don't recognize.  
  
"Mother?" I ask. She looks over at me.  
  
"Celine!" she shouts. Father and the Elder also turn to look at us. "You're just in time!"  
  
"What do you mean?" I ask. Rena and Claude look at me.  
  
"Mother?" Claude asks.  
  
"Yes, I am from this village." I respond. Father waves us over.  
  
"Please sit down. We have a crisis right now." He explains. I sit next to my mother, while Claude and Rena sit on the other side of the table.  
  
"This is indeed the worst crisis in our history." The Elder begins.  
  
"Mr. Elder," I begin, "I'm afraid that we still don't know what is happening."  
  
"Allow me," Father says. The Elder nods to him. "A few days ago all of our children went missing. A little after sunset on that same day, the Master over here came back with a terrifying message." All eyes turn to the Heraldy Master.  
  
"I had been training in the forest," he explains, "when a most awful demon bandit came in front of me. I was prepared to defend myself, but all he did was make an announcement and leave." He pauses as if he is remembering. "He said, 'If you wish your children alive, bring us 10,000,000 FOL and the Book of Secret Seals'. Then he vanished." My eyes went wide at this. The Heraldy Forest is home to very powerful magic. For someone with such an evil mind to break that magic…  
  
"So are the children safe?" Rena asks. Father looks down. This won't be good.  
  
"According to a second messenger, they are deep in the Heraldy Forest with no intention of leaving until their demands are met." Father says. "They have also stated they if we make a wrong move, the children will die." I grind my teeth. Kidnappers are always low on my list.  
  
"Then we can do nothing…" Rena says. I am forced to agree with her. There seems little we can do. Father looks up like they have already made a huge stride.  
  
"Well, we did find out where they are holding the children. Now all we need to do is go rescue them." I light up. Claude and Rena do also. Father continues. "We were unsure how to go about it, but a swordsman was passing through…"  
  
"Dias?" Rena asks. Who is this Dias she speaks of? I've heard the name, some hotshot swordsman with an attitude problem. But the way she speaks, you would believe they were best friends. The Elder looks over at Rena.  
  
"So young lady, you know Mr. Dias?" he asks. Rena nods.  
  
"We are from the same village." She explains. I see now. I wonder if he was always the way I heard him to be. Rena turns back to the group. "Will you ask for Dias's help?" she asks.  
  
"We did," Father explains, but the Master of Heraldy cuts him off.  
  
"But I am opposed." He states. "Rather than someone we cannot be sure to trust, we should step in ourselves." Rena is fuming.  
  
"HE WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" she practically shouts. "I can vouch for both his skill and trust."  
  
The Master is fuming as well. "My DEAR lady," he says with gritted teeth, "even if you should vouch for him…"  
  
The Elder sighs. "Well, this is also the problem of our village. We may be irresponsible for hiring someone who was just passing through." I come up with an idea.  
  
"Well then," I begin, "Why don't you let us take care of the problem."  
  
Father looks at me shocked. "Celine?"  
  
"I am from the village," I remind him, "and we most assuredly have enough power. They are just bandits after all."  
  
The other man there, who I just realize has not spoken once yet, finally opens his mouth. "If you are giving me the boot, I don't care." He says. "But if you fail because of this woman, don't come running to me."  
  
"I can't believe the rudeness of this man." I say. He looks me straight in the eye.  
  
"You are the one being rude." He says. "You come in and mess up the operation. I'll have no more of this. I'm returning to the inn." As he is leaving, he turns to Rena. "It's been a long time, Rena, I didn't even recognize you." He walks out the door. I'm still fuming.  
  
"Father, you can't really be considering hiring that man. They are just bandits, we can easily crush them." Father begins the list of 'why we shouldn't underestimate people'.  
  
  
  
**I'll spare you the really boring lecture**  
  
  
  
We finally get outside. The Elder asked Rena to take a message to Dias, so it is just Claude and myself right now. Claude is finding the ground very interesting at the moment. I don't really understand the fascination.  
  
"Find anything good down there?" I ask him. He looks up at me.  
  
"No… not really…" he says turning red. I smile.  
  
"Are you ready for this?" I ask him. He nods. I get an idea. "Let's show off a little." I say. He looks at me strangely.  
  
"Huh?" he says. I just sigh.  
  
"You are such a bore. And I already convinced Father." At that moment, Rena comes running up. We give her a moment to catch her breath. "You're late." I comment. Rena looks right up at me.  
  
"I know this is sudden, but I want you to allow Dias to come with us." I resist the urge to step back. I try to imagine traveling with that man… it is not coming out pretty.  
  
"Well," I say plastering a smile on my face, "since this is a request from his cute girlfriend, he will surely accept."  
  
Rena shakes her head. "No, you don't understand. His skills are really top rate." I look over at Claude.  
  
"Well?" I ask him. He shakes his head.  
  
"He said he could go with out us. So let him." I am shocked that Claude would say something like that. Apparently, so is Rena.  
  
"How can you be so cruel!?" she asks. Claude doesn't even flinch.  
  
"I'm not lying. We have no use for that man." I can't believe what I am hearing. Claude… I can't even think of it.  
  
"Fine then." Rena turns away. "I'm going with Dias." She runs off back to the inn. I shake my head. Guess it is just us now.  
  
"Come on Claude." I say. We head to the shops in town for supplies. Looks like we will need more than usual with our healer gone…  
  
  
  
Will continue soon. 


	8. an early start, and a journey with a dis...

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Authors notes: I don't do romance. So if it becomes whoever/whoever, it is purely accidental.  
  
Disclaimer: I use this in one of my other stories, but oh well. If you think I own Star Ocean, please take a long walk off a short pier. (even if you actually do think I own it, which I don't, please don't actually do that… it is just a figure of speech.)  
  
  
  
It is early the next morning when I wake up. Claude is still asleep in his room. If he doesn't' wake up soon, I will have to "convince" him. The well just outside has nice, cold water. That should do it. The elder meets me when I walk down the stairs. I didn't expect to see him up so early.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" he asks. I shake my head.  
  
"Claude is still sleeping." I reply. The Elder looks at me.  
  
"Please, Celine, we must do this quickly."  
  
"Don't worry. I know how to wake him up." I go outside. I take the bucket from the well and fill it as much as possible. When I get back in the door, however, Father stops me.  
  
"I know what you are planning." He says. "It isn't ladylike to enter a man's room when he is in that state."  
  
"Father, we have no time for this." I say. But it is too late. He takes the bucket.  
  
"Under the circumstances, I will do this. But I will not have my daughter go into such an un-ladylike act." He walks up the stairs with the bucket. So much for that seeing the priceless expression. When will he realize I am no ordinary woman?  
  
A few moments later, I hear Claude yelling from upstairs. I haven't heard that many curses in a row since… since… actually, I don't believe I have ever heard that many in a row. This could be an interesting trip. When Claude finally comes down, still a bit wet, we are ready to go. Father is coming down behind him apologizing for the "ungentlemanly thing he had to do". I just groan. Claude checks the supplies and we head outside. As we are walking out the door, Mother and the Heraldy Master walk up to us. Mother looks upset.  
  
"Mother?" I ask, "Is everything all right?" The look on her face says it all, we won't like it.  
  
"Rena and Dias have left already." She says. I keep my expression blank, but inside I am fuming. If they think they will be able to get there first…  
  
"They probably want to get there first than gloat about it." Claude says.  
  
The Elder gives us both a stern look. "This is not a race. Lives are at stake here. If you meet up with them, cooperate." He softens just a bit. "Here, you will both need these." He hands us both a pair of special mud boots. "Be very careful in the Heraldy Forest. Much of its power is untamed." We both nod, then head off into the forest.  
  
  
  
**Inside the Heraldy Forest**  
  
"How can anyone find their way in here?" Claude asks. I sigh. We have been here for about a half an hour, and all he does is complain. On top of that, we have all of the bandit's guards to fight off, as well as the natural inhabitants of the forest. I hope we find the children soon, or at least Rena and Dias. I don't really know how much longer we can keep this up. During the fighting, I received another new attack, as well as some defensive spells, but it doesn't seem like enough. Claude was happy when he found a Flame Blade someone left behind. As we walk deeper, I could swear by Tria I heard someone laughing. Claude insists it is my imagination. We walk on, for at least an hour without saying a word to each other. There isn't much to say.  
  
"Ahem." We turn and see the Master of Heraldy coming up behind us. I am shocked, and by the look on his face, so is Claude. We both turn to him.  
  
"What are you doing here? What about the village?" Claude asks. The Master just nods.  
  
"When my business is finished, I will return. For now, I am needed here." He has a smile on his face, one that I really don't trust. Something isn't right here.  
  
"So the children have been found?" I ask. I don't want to say anything yet… not until I am sure.  
  
"Rena and Dias got there first." Claude says. I wonder if he picked up on the same thing I have. "So have the bandits been destroyed?" Claude continues.  
  
"No. They are very much alive." The Master says. I can't control my expression this time. I know that my shock showed, since the Master's smile grew.  
  
"Wha?" I can't bring myself to ask. But I don't need to.  
  
"The one who fell," the Master says, "was your Father."  
  
I have to fight to keep from fainting. "Father…?"  
  
"The Masters may be rich, but they don't give their riches easily. This disguise allowed me to enter. I have no choice but to destroy you now. Right before our eyes, the Master of Heraldy transforms into the Boss of the Bandits. And we are forced to battle.  
  
  
  
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Stopping for now. Will update soon. 


	9. ch. 9

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.  
  
  
  
"ENERGY ARROW!!" I hurl arrow after arrow at him, while Claude is going at him with his sword. We have been at it a while now, and we are not really sure when we will get through this. The Boss of the Bandits doesn't even seem to be slowing down. I keep on him, using different spells just trying to get his attention so Claude can use some of the blueberries. But it doesn't seem to be working. Finally, with a last-ditch effort, Claude pulls off a head-splitter and finishes the job. The monster Boss of the Bandits is finally defeated… permanently. Claude sinks down to his knees. I rush over and quickly give him some blueberries. We only found one pack of smelling salts on the way here, and Rena has the Resurrection Bottles, so we can't lose him. After a few moments, Claude seems all right. He gets up slowly.  
  
"That was more than necessary." He says looking at the form of the Boss. I just sigh. That was way too close for comfort. Claude looks at me.  
  
"We must return to the village." He says. I sigh. I'm sorry Father, but not yet.  
  
"No Claude. We must find the children first. We can't let this happen again." Claude looks at me like I grew another head, but doesn't argue. As we turn to head on, Rena and Dias come up to us. They can't miss the body on the ground. Rena looks like she will be sick, but Dias acts like this is normal. I am not really sure what to think of that.  
  
"Rena!" Claude shouts. Rena looks up.  
  
"Claude, Celine! What is this?" she asks. I nod to Claude.  
  
"This is the true form of the Master of Heraldy in the Elder's house." He says. Rena looks up suddenly.  
  
"The Boss of the Bandits…" she says, almost whispering. Dias turns to Claude.  
  
"Did you slay this one?" he asks. Claude looks at him a moment. Then at me. Why me?  
  
"Yes…" he says slowly. "But with Celine's help." I can't believe him. He has a chance to show off, and he is completely ignoring it. That is not something you see in a person everyday. I nod approving.  
  
"Then perhaps you are not an encumbrance. I look forward to crossing paths again." With that, Dias just leaves. I turn to Rena.  
  
"So where were you anyway?" I ask.  
  
"We released the children from a cabin not far from here." She says. Claude suddenly lights up.  
  
"We must return to the village!" he says. We all rush back to Mars.  
  
  
  
**Mars Village, a few hours later**  
  
Father has finally woken up. Rena's spells did it. I sigh with relief. I was so worried….  
  
"Hey Celine, Labe…" Father says. He still sounds a bit weak.  
  
"Father!" I cry. He smiles at me. Rena leaves so we can have some family time.  
  
"I hear you are quite the heroine, Celine." Father says. I don't understand what he means by that.  
  
"Father?" I ask. He just smiles at me. But before he can say anything, the Elder walks in.  
  
"Thank Tria you are all right." He says.  
  
"Don't worry Elder," Father says. "You can't get rid of me that easily." We all laugh. It just feels so good.  
  
  
  
**a couple more hours later**  
  
I am sitting in my room. My rod is on the bed next to me. I sit near the window, looking out. This was one monster of a day. Something catches my eye, and I look closer. Rena and Claude are leaving!? Oh no they don't. I quickly rush outside and yell for them to stop. They do and turn around. I run up to them.  
  
"And just where do you think you are going?" I ask. They look at me.  
  
"Is Eglas all right?" Claude asks. I nod.  
  
"If you are worried about Father, don't. Rena's spells are just magnificent." Rena blushes.  
  
"You flatter me." She says. I just smile.  
  
"We better get going." Claude says. "The sun will be down soon." I shake my head. Oh no you don't.  
  
"So, to express our gratitude, please stay at my house for the night." They don't look too certain.  
  
"Are you sure?" Rena says.  
  
"Of course! Or did you forget that you were heroes today."  
  
"What about Dias?" Claude asks. I frown.  
  
"He left long ago. Don't worry, we'll see him again." I have an annoyance quota to fill whenever I travel. And I haven't come anywhere close to it yet. Of course, there is no need to share that with them. So I just lead them "gently" to my house. When we enter, we can smell Mother's cooking. Rena begins to look homesick. Where did she say she was from… Arlia? Maybe we should pay a visit there sometime. Mother tells us that dinner is ready, and we all sit at the table.  
  
  
  
**Next Morning**  
  
Seeing us to the gates of town seems a little overboard to me, but my parents will not be persuaded. Oh well. I don't mind it as much as one might think. When we reach the gates, we turn to them.  
  
"You be careful now. The roads are becoming more and more dangerous." Father says.  
  
"Don't worry." I reply to him.  
  
"Don't go anywhere near the Sorcery Globe. It's too dangerous." Mother is always worried about everything.  
  
"There is nothing to worry about. Claude and Rena are with me." Mother seems to think about it a moment, then decide not to say anything.  
  
"Well, then. All that is left is one last thing." Father says handing us the book we found in Cross Cave. "Even the Elder can't make heads or tails of it. So, since you are going to be on Lacour anyway, why don't you bring this to Linga? Surely there must be a linguist there who can read it." Claude takes the book and puts it in the pack.  
  
"We will do that as soon as possible." He says. Then we turn and head for Herlie.  
  
  
  
**a little later (A/N: so I'm lazy, otherwise you would see "we're walking, we're walking…", etc.)**  
  
Seeing this town again is a total experience. When I last came here, the shops were all open, everyone was trying to see and be everywhere at once. Now, the place may as well be deserted. We head for the inn, and get a couple of rooms. Rena and I head for ours, while Claude is in his. I lay out on the bed. Rena is staring out the window.  
  
"Hey Rena," I say, "You're right."  
  
"Huh?" She turns to me.  
  
"About Claude. What you said in Clik. We do need another fighter." She sighs, and then sits on the other bed.  
  
"So where do we look?" she asks. I just shake my head.  
  
"I have no idea." I stare at the ceiling for a while… then fall asleep.  
  
  
  
I awake with the sun, no surprise there. I always loved the morning. Rena is already awake. I didn't really expect that. We head out, and knock on Claude's door. Better to miss the crowd. After about 10 minutes of hearing 'Just a minute' and 'I'm coming, really!' Claude finally comes out ready to go. We leave the inn and head for the ships. Claude walks up to the harbormaster and speaks with him a moment. When he returns, he is not happy.  
  
"We can't cross." He says. I am in shock. Not Lacour too!  
  
"What do you mean we can't cross!?" Rena practically shouts. I put my hand on her shoulder. Getting upset won't help us any. She calms down.  
  
"The harbor master says all ships are docked until the problem in Salva has been resolved." Salva!?  
  
"Salva!?" Rena is as outraged as I am. "What could possibly be happening in Salva that would affect Herlie!?" Good question.  
  
"A dragon." Claude says. I just stand there and stare at him. A Dragon. You've got to be kidding me.  
  
"Well, let's go take care of it then." Rena says. I just shake my head and follow.  
  
  
  
**Next stop: Salva**  
  
Claude is starting to have an easier time of the monsters, but we will still need more than that if we are going to get near the Sorcery Globe. When we reach Salva, there are numerous people around. We are quickly able to find out that that dragon is in the Salva Drift. As we head in, Claude is once again the brunt of the attacks. Rena is able to cast a couple of attack spells, but can't since she is healing Claude. I throw every attack I can at them. Finally, there is a lull in the monster attacks. I look around at this place. It is actually pretty. As I am admiring the sparkling walls, Claude and Rena suddenly stop, and I end up crashing into them.  
  
"Why are we stopping?" I ask. Claude turns to me.  
  
"We saw someone else up ahead." He says. Ah. I see.  
  
"He must be here to slay the dragon as well." I say. They both nod.  
  
"Perhaps. Well, lets go." We all start moving again. Soon, we are able to find the dragon… and a young man already fighting it. I look at the dragon for the first time… and am shocked to see two heads! The young man is valiantly fighting it with his short swords. He is getting some pretty good hits in, but doesn't seem to be doing much damage. It is like… the dragon is toying with him, waiting for something.  
  
"Fight!" I turn and see that Claude and Rena have taken it on themselves to be a cheering section. I stay quiet. Finally, the young man turns to us.  
  
"Would you mind keeping it down?" he says. I look up, and see the dragon closing in!  
  
"LOOK OUT!" I cry. He turns around, and there is a bright flash, then… nothing. I rub my eyes trying to clear them. When my vision finally returns, I look around. Claude and Rena are still recovering, but the young man and the dragon are gone.  
  
"What… what happened?" Rena asks. I am not sure myself. Before I can respond, the young man comes back. But something different is there.  
  
"Excuse me…" he says. "Have you seen the dragon?" he looks around, giving us a perfect view of what happened. The dragons possessed him. He turns to us again. "I'M ASKING YOU A QUESTION!" he says.  
  
"Your back…" Claude finally responds. The young man stares at us for a few moments, letting that simple statement sink in.  
  
"No…" he finally says.  
  
"At least you are still alive." Rena says. He looks right at her.  
  
"You call this good?!" Geez, chill out.  
  
"You don't need to yell at her darling." I say. He looks at me, then at all of us.  
  
"Will you take responsibility for this?" he asks. What? Why should we?  
  
"Wha?" Rena beats me to it.  
  
"Will you take responsibility for making me damaged goods." He says. We all group for a moment.  
  
"Well?" Claude asks.  
  
"We should do something for him…" Rena says.  
  
"Don't we have a mission?" I remind them.  
  
"We need another fighter to help Claude." Rena says, then quickly puts her hand over her mouth. Claude just looks at her.  
  
"I don't know what your problem is…" he says. "I don't mind help. If we can find it anyway."  
  
"Maybe we should help him then." I say. We all agree. We turn back to him. He hasn't budged.  
  
"All right, we'll take responsibility." Claude says. He lights up.  
  
"Good! Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ashton Anchors." He gives us a small bow.  
  
"I'm Rena." Rena starts. Then she points to Claude and me. "This is Claude and Celine." Ashton gives us both a small bow.  
  
"So how do we start?" he asks.  
  
"How about we get out of here and into safer surroundings." I suggest. We all head out. As we are, we notice that it is a lot quicker cutting through the monsters. Ashton is really clever with those short swords. Claude doesn't need as much healing either. After we are out and at the gates, we turn to Ashton.  
  
"OK, so how do we start?" Claude asks. Ashton looks down.  
  
"No idea." He says. The dragons apparently want a say in this.  
  
"What are they saying?" Claude asks.  
  
"They are saying 'of course you won't understand'." Ashton translates. Claude turns red.  
  
"Aren't they cute though?" Rena says. I look at her, then at the two dragons. I don't see it.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Ashton asks. Apparently, he doesn't either.  
  
"Can I give them names?" Rena asks. Claude looks like he is trying not to scream.  
  
"I don't really care." Ashton says. Rena goes up to them.  
  
"I'll call this one Gyoro, and this one Urunun." I just roll my eyes.  
  
"Fine, they have names now. So how do I get rid of them?" Ashton is really impatient. Can't really blame him though.  
  
"What about some books?" Claude says.  
  
"Books?" Ashton is not really sure what he means. I want to hit him on the head with one, but I don't think that is what Claude has in mind.  
  
"There must be some book about exorcism." He says.  
  
"The Mars Elder practically has his own library. We could look there." I say.  
  
"Then let's go." We all head back to Mars.  
  
To be continued… 


	10. ch. 10

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: Same as always.  
  
  
  
We have looked through almost all of the Elder's books. And so far we have come up with nothing. Ashton is really getting depressed. Rena and Claude are just frustrated. I want to fall asleep. You would think in here somewhere would be something interesting. I walk up to the bookcase and pull down another book. I look at the cover. 'Holy Book of the Exorcisms' it says. I light up.  
  
"I think I found it!" I say. All eyes turn to me. Claude walks up and takes the book.  
  
"Let's see here…" he flips through the book. " 'Thou must take heed depending on the possessing entity'…"  
  
"A DRAGON, GET ON WITH IT!" Ashton is on his feet. Rena goes over to him.  
  
"Either calm down or end up in the well." Ashton looks at her a moment, then sits down again. I have to remember that one. Claude flips to the approiate section, then continues reading.  
  
" 'To rid thyself of demon dragons, take the Silver Goblet. With this sacred cup, catch the Tears of the King high on the Mountain. After thou hast the Goblet and the Tears, return thyself to the place of the possession, drink the Tears from the Goblet, and recite the pledge inscribed here.'" Claude looks up a bit. I just frown. Ashton looks confused. Rena seems deep in thought.  
  
"Where is the Silver Goblet?" she finally asks. Claude looks in the book.  
  
" 'Thou wilst find the Silver Goblet in the mother's body embraced in calm waters' whatever that means." (A/N: That may not be exactly it, I don't remember)  
  
"Well, let's get started!" Ashton is on his feet again.  
  
"Hold on a second." Claude says. He looks back down at the book. " 'With a savage howl of torment, the demon dragon will vanish from this world forever.'" All is silent for a moment. We have to kill them? I think that is just too far. Of course, I am also not the one the possessed. But still…  
  
"We have to kill them?" Sounds like Rena doesn't like it either.  
  
"Don't you care what will happen to me?!" Ashton looks like he wants to scream.  
  
"It's not that…" Rena says.  
  
"It just sounds too cruel." I finish. Ashton turns away from us.  
  
"NO! We finally found a way to get rid of them. I am going to do it." Why did that sound so… final?  
  
"Well," Claude says, "We better find out where the Silver Goblet is."  
  
"From the description in the book, it sounds like the Mountain Palace. But you need King Cross' permission to enter." Rena seems to know about that stuff. Well, now what?  
  
"So let's see if we can get permission." Ashton says. We all head out for Cross.  
  
  
  
**Cross Castle**  
  
"May I help you?" the person at the front desk asks when we walk in. Then he lights up. "Miss Rena! What brings you back?"  
  
"We need another audience with the king. Is it possible?" He looks a moment, then down at his book. After a moment, he looks up again.  
  
"There are no audiences right now, and not for a while. Go right ahead to the stairwell." He turns and signals the guards on the stairs. They nod, and we proceed to the throne room. When we get there, we of course show the proper respect.  
  
"Little Rena! What brings you back here?" Rena steps forward.  
  
"Please Your Majesty, we need your permission to enter the Mountain Palace." The king just stares at us confused.  
  
"Why in the world would you need to venture into that monster pit?" he asks. Claude steps forward a bit.  
  
"We require the Silver Goblet kept in there to rid our friend here of his possession." He says indicating Ashton. Ashton, for his part, seems like he wants to sink through the floor. I hide my smile.  
  
"Well, then," the king says after a moment, "I can not refuse such a noble request. But take heed of the monsters inside, or it may be your last venture."  
  
"We understand." Rena says. He says something to a guard. Then turns back to us.  
  
"Take this money, and prepare yourselves well. We will notify the guards posted there you have permission." We bow again, then are dismissed. After we get out of the castle, we turn to Ashton. He is sorta pale.  
  
"Are you all right?" I ask him. He just looks down.  
  
"I have never been so frightened in my life." He says. Rena smiles. Claude just shakes his head.  
  
"Don't worry, Ashton. King Cross is very kind." Ashton looks at her and manages a smile. We head for the Mountain Palace.  
  
In front of the entrance, Ashton looks off the side of the cliff. We all turn to him trying to figure out what is going on. Then he turns to us.  
  
"What happened to Clik?" he asks. I guess news doesn't travel as fast as people want us to believe it does.  
  
"An earthquake then a tidal wave." Claude responds. Ashton looks pale, again. This guy has a pretty queasy stomach for a fighter.  
  
"Are you all right Ashton?" Rena asks. He nods, then heads inside the cave. We look at each other, then follow.  
  
The guard lets us through with no problems. The monsters however have a different idea. In addition to that, this place is a total maze. But I found a Crest Rod, and Rena found some new Knuckles, so that helps a bit. The boys seem to be having way too much fun fighting. During one monster attack, they told us to back off. I sighed, and threw an Energy Arrow just to make them mad. After that, they never told us to back off. We finally reach a little room. We must be really deep. On the far side of the room, we can see something almost… glowing. When we walk up to it, we find the Silver Goblet. But something isn't quite right about this…  
  
"This was too easy…" Claude says. I think everyone feels it. Ashton doesn't seem to care though.  
  
"So what. My misery is one step closer to being gone. Ashton turns to pick up the Goblet, but is struck back by some kind of energy field. We all back up quickly, and we see a figure come down. It looks like a woman, but also like a monster at the same time.  
  
"You try to possess our fatecup. Now, you will die!" With that loving sentiment, she attacks!!  
  
**major fight, guess who wins**  
  
I am down on my knees again. I have never seen anything move that fast. Rena is still casting her Cure All. After a few more moments, we are able to stand and look at each other. We are a bit worn, but everyone is still alive. Claude goes up and easily takes the Goblet off the pedestal. Then he turns to us.  
  
"Am I the only one who wants to leave?" he asks. We all shake our heads, then head out. It takes at least twice as long to find the entrance again. And those monsters are really not happy. We finally make it out.  
  
"All right," Rena says. "Now what?"  
  
"The Tears of the King on the Mountain could be the mountains west of Cross." Ashton says. I look them all right in the eyes.  
  
"How about we stop in Cross and heal up a bit first." I ask. Everyone looks at everyone else. Then they all agree. We do need a healing trip. So we head to Cross.  
  
To be continued… 


	11. ch. 11

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Happy?  
  
  
  
**Cross Castle Town, Inn**  
  
We rent the two rooms. Claude and Ashton are in theirs, while Rena and myself are in the other. I lay on the bed, just staring into nothing. Rena is looking out the window.  
  
"Homesick?" I ask. Rena just sighs.  
  
"Yeah, a little." I give a small smile.  
  
"Don't worry, it will pass." I begin to think back to when I decided to become a treasure hunter. My parents, of course, hated the idea. I was supposed to be the perfect lady. Yeah, right. I lay back and fall asleep.  
  
  
  
"OK, do we have everything we need?" Claude is taking charge this morning.  
  
"Everything except Ashton." Rena replies. I look around. Where is he anyway? When I look over at the weapons shop, I see him running out. Everyone turns to him.  
  
"What kept ya?" Claude asks.  
  
"I saw a pair of short swords that were better than the ones I had. So I went and got them." He pulls out a pair of newly forged short swords. Boy are they sharp! But they also look beautiful. Someone was definitely having a good day when they made those.  
  
"Wow." Rena seems impressed too. Claude just shakes his head. Guess he isn't really interested. We head out for the Cross Mountains. We quickly find that getting there is easy, but getting up it isn't. The monsters here are exceptionally strong. Luckily, we are able to defeat them. We come up to a part that is complete vertical. We look up. I turn to them.  
  
"Don't tell me we have to climb that…" I am really not dressed for it. Claude smiles, then starts climbing. Ashton follows him. Rena gives me one more look.  
  
"If you are scared, feel free to stay here." Then she goes up. Scared?! I am not! I start climbing up behind her. I get to the top, and everyone is staring at a huge nest. I don't really know if I want to meet the bird that lives here. Rena steps forward.  
  
"I don't understand… this should be it…" Ashton looks like he is going to pass out. After that climb, I can't really blame him this time. But then something else happens. He starts to glow faintly. We all turn to him.  
  
"Ashton?" Claude asks. He doesn't respond. Instead he turns away from us… and faces a huge demon bird! We all look up at it. Ashton steps forward.  
  
"Long time no see Xine…" his voice sounds a little different… I don't understand.  
  
"Ashton?" Claude tries to get his attention. "What's going on?"  
  
"I can't believe you have had to stoop so low as to possess a human." The bird can talk?! That's it… I am never using my Heraldic powers to cook breakfast again.  
  
"There are times when one must do what is necessary to survive." Ashton still sounds strange.  
  
"Wait… that is Gyoro and Urunun talking!" Rena says. That explains it.  
  
"Do you actually think you can fight me in that form. As if you could beat me in your former self." Great, now the dumb bird is laughing at us.  
  
"We shall see." Ashton… or the dragons controlling him… draw the short swords. Xine seems amused.  
  
"Well, then. If you so wish. Let us battle." The fight begins.  
  
**about ½ hour later**  
  
I am really hating this. The bird is hovering over us. He seems, different now… probably because we took his beak off and handed it to him. He looks straight at Ashton.  
  
"I don't know about these demon dragons living with humans…" he says. Ashton looks down, but Gyoro and Urunun look straight up.  
  
"We have always been alone. Now we know companionship." Xine seems to think a moment.  
  
"Well, then you have something I don't…" With that, he files straight up into the air. I see something falling, and Claude has the Silver Goblet out. The tears fall right into it. We all turn to Ashton. He draws his swords.  
  
"All right…lets get that… demon… bird?" He turns to us. "Where did it go?" We just smile at him. "Great, now I'm all confused."  
  
"Aren't you going to get rid of a certain couple of dragons?" Claude asks. Ashton seems to think a moment. Then he looks at us.  
  
"Yes… I must have come here for that reason…" Claude growls a bit.  
  
"Well then, we need to get back to the Salva Drift. You need to be at the place where you were possessed." We head back down the mountain. Most of the monsters seem to have lost their spirit, so it is relatively easy getting down. We head over to Salva. As we are walking, I can't help but notice that Gyoro and Urunun seem, well, a bit depressed. I can't really say I blame them. The poor things…  
  
  
  
**Salva Drift, Dragon's Lair**  
  
"All right Ashton. We have the Silver Goblet and the Tears of the King. Now you just need to recite the pledge." Claude hands Ashton the Goblet. Ashton takes it, but doesn't look happy.  
  
"Err… yes…" He turns toward the interior of the nest. "We shall now begin the purification ceremony with my accursed body in front…" Gyoro and Urunun start protesting. Rena tells them to be quiet. Ashton continues. "Oh god of purification, please rid me of…" They start protesting again. All of us yell out. Ashton looks down. What is wrong? This is what he wanted. So why is he stopping?  
  
"I can't do it…" Ashton almost whispers. "I… I just can't…"  
  
"Ashton…?" I say. He turns to us.  
  
"But that was why you helped me. If I do this, there will be no reason for me to go with you anymore. Gyoro and Urunun, I don't want to leave you either…" I smile. Rena steps up.  
  
"Do you see now Ashton?" Ashton nods.  
  
"I'm sorry I put you through all that…" he says.  
  
"Ashton… if you want, you are more than welcome to join us." Claude says, extending a hand. Ashton takes it and they shake.  
  
"Thank you." We head out for Herlie. This time, we should be able to cross.  
  
  
  
To be continued… 


	12. ch. 12

1 Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own it. So get over it.  
  
  
  
The sea breeze feels good. We are on the ship heading out for Hilton, the main port of Lacour. It has been so long since I have been there. Rena is leaning out over the side, and Claude is yelling at her to be careful. I have to smile at that. Ashton is looking up at the sky while Gyoro and Urunun seem to have fallen asleep. I walk over to him.  
  
"Hi." He looks up at me.  
  
"Hey…" We haven't seen him smile yet…What could possibly be that depressing?  
  
"You OK?" I ask. He looks me in the eye, then just looks down.  
  
"Same as usual, I guess…" Forget tact.  
  
"So how come you never smile?" He looks up at me like he isn't sure if he should hurt me or laugh at me. Finally he just shakes his head.  
  
"Because I have nothing to smile about." He finally says. "I am the unluckiest person alive."  
  
"I wouldn't go that far…" I say. He looks at me like I have lost it. "Well," I continue, "Look at what you have. The three of us will be here if you ever need it, and Gyoro and Urunun are also there to watch your back." He thinks about it a moment, then gives a small smile. I'll take any victory I can get.  
  
"I guess you are right…" he says. "I never thought of it like that."  
  
"HEY GUYS! LOOK!!" Rena is screaming from the front of the ship. Ashton stands up and we both head over. Claude actually has his arms around his waist while Rena is leaning out as far as possible. I chuckle, then go help Claude pull the over-excited teenager back on board. Once we know she is staying, we look over. In front of us is the port of Hilton, on the continent of Lacour.  
  
  
  
**Hilton Inn**  
  
Everyone is in one room right now, but we again rented two. Claude and Ashton are sitting opposite Rena and myself at the small table.  
  
"So what are the plans?" I ask.  
  
"First we should head over to Lacour. We will need some better weapons if we are going to El." Ashton's eyes go wide. Oops… I knew we forgot something.  
  
"EL?!" he says. Rena and Claude look over at him.  
  
"I thought you knew we were going there…" Claude says. Ashton shakes his head. "Well, if you don't want to come just say so."  
  
"No. I will come. I just wish I had known before… I would have packed better…" I smile and shake my head.  
  
"So after Lacour?" I ask.  
  
"Well, we still have to bring that book to Linga." Claude says. I nod.  
  
"Well," Rena says, "we have a long day tommorow, so why don't we get some sleep." The boys get up to leave.  
  
"Hey Ashton? What time do you usually get up?" Ashton looks at Claude strangely. I smile. I already know where this is going.  
  
"I like to sleep in. Why?" Claude turns to him.  
  
"These two will be knocking on our door at the crack of dawn. So just be prepared." Rena is trying not to giggle, and I am ready to burst. Ashton's expression was priceless. They leave, and we both start laughing. When we finally settle down, we go to sleep.  
  
  
  
**Next morning… crack of dawn ^_^**  
  
I'm wide awake, Rena is wide awake, the boys will be if they are not already. Rena and me smile at Ashton's priceless expression when he heard we were early risers. We have everything packed and ready, and head out to get the boys. But we find them in the lobby already. We both stop shocked. They both smirk at us.  
  
"Gyoro and Urunun are early risers too." Ashton explains. "So we decided to beat you out here." I just shake my head. Rena just smiles. We head out for Lacour Castle. 


	13. ch. 13

Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own it. I am poor.  
  
  
  
The monsters here are stronger. It is a good thing that we have Ashton with us. I don't know if Claude would have been able to handle all of these on his own. When we make it to Lacour at about mid-day, we are all exhausted. We go into the town limits.  
  
"So this is Lacour!" Rena says. "Wow!"  
  
"You sound like you have never been out of the country before." Claude says.  
  
"Problem?!" Rena says with the patented 'just try it' look. Claude just shakes his head and sweatdrops.  
  
"Nope, not at all." he stammers. Rena smiles. I turn back to the city.  
  
"I can't come here enough!" I have always loved this city. It is always full of life. I hope we can save it.  
  
"Let's look at the castle!" Rena says, running off.  
  
Claude sighs. "Fine, but don't forget we have things to do." Rena stops and turns to him.  
  
"Huh?" she asks. Claude just shakes his head and follows her, with Ashton and myself not far behind.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Lacour Castle reception**  
  
"Excuse me." Rena asks one of the people at the desk. He looks up.  
  
"May I help you?" he says. He seems pleasant enough.  
  
"We would like to have an audience with the King if that is possible." The person at the desk looks down a bit.  
  
"I'm sorry, but because of the Tournament of Arms, the King will not be holding any audiences until a few days after the tournament. I am deeply sorry." Claude seems to be thinking of something.but what?  
  
"Could I enter the tournament?" Claude asks. The clerk looks at him.  
  
"Your name please?"  
  
"Claude Kenni." The clerk writes it down and fills out a few other things. Then he tears the paper in half, and puts one in some kind of file and gives the other to Claude.  
  
"You will need a weapons shop to sponsor you. They will fill out the remaining information. Just bring it to the tournament." He says. We thank him and leave. Just outside, we all turn to Claude.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rena asks.  
  
"I've never really had a chance to test myself. This is the perfect opportunity." I look at him.  
  
"You still need a weapons shop to sponsor you." I remind him. We head to where they all are.  
  
  
  
  
  
**5 hours later**  
  
  
  
We have finally found a weapons shop which seems good. They readily agreed to sponsor Claude. So now it is time to hit the inn. We are all gonna have to share the same room this time. Oh well, we will make do. We are sitting in our room now. Rena seems to be the one getting nervous. I wonder what is wrong?  
  
"Rena? Are you all right?" She looks up a bit sad.  
  
"I'm not helping like this.I'll go take a walk." With that, she leaves.  
  
"Rena, it's all right." Claude starts. Ashton and I look at each other. I think we both have the same idea.  
  
"Rena must still be thinking about that Dias character."  
  
Claude turns to the wall. "Whatever the reason, it has nothing to do with me." Ashton and I both get the same skeptical look.  
  
"Oh really?" we say at the same time. Claude turns to look at both of us.  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" he asks. We both turn away.  
  
"Nothing." We both say. Claude must be turning red.  
  
"If you have something to say, SAY IT!" We both turn back to him.  
  
"I don't have anything to say." Ashton and I are getting good at this. Claude just turns back to the wall.  
  
"This is exasperating." He says. Ashton and I both have our hands over our mouths. Gyoro and Urunun seem to be thinking that we are both nuts. Claude just lays down on one of the beds with a huge sigh.  
  
"You two are something else completely, you know that?" he says. Ashton sits on the bed and starts annoying Claude. I sit on the other bed and look out the window. It is getting a bit dark. The tournament is tomorrow morning. Where could Rena be? I hear the door open and turn around. Ashton and Claude are also looking. Rena comes in, looking very tired. She doesn't even give us a chance to ask her what is going on before she lays on the bed and goes to sleep. The three of us look at each other, then shrug. I hope she is all right.  
  
  
  
**Next morning: TOURNAMENT TIME!!**  
  
  
  
The receptionist at the desk makes sure we have an early wake-up call. Claude is shaking a bit as he gathers his stuff. Rena is really quiet.  
  
"Claude, relax would ya?" Ashton finally says. Claude shakes it off.  
  
"I'm fine, really." Claude picks up the last of his stuff, then we head over for the Lacour Arena.  
  
  
  
To be continued. 


	14. ch. 14

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own it. **sigh**  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: OK, follow me on this: Mr. Eight-Person-Rule is locked in Mr. Safe and has been thrown out of Mr. Window and is sinking to the bottom of Mr. Ocean. Got all that? ^_^  
  
  
  
"WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO THE 173rd ANNUAL LACOUR TOURNAMENT OF ARMS!!!" The announcer is extra annoying this time. Ashton and I are in the spectator section of the arena. Claude has to wait in the training room until his match starts. which shouldn't be long since he drew first. Rena ran off after Dias. While I don't approve of what Claude did. I can't help but wonder what is going on. Ashton seems a bit upset he couldn't enter. I have been trying to make him forget about it, but he doesn't want to let go. He finally gives up. We wait while the announcers run through every announcement they can possibly think of. Then finally, they get to what we are waiting for.  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!!" The crowd goes nuts. I am shaking. I hope Claude is up to this. "UP FIRST, A VETERAN OF MANY TOURNAMENTS ALL OVER EXPEL, DOL ANON!" (A/N: I am making up the names. They may or may not be correct.) This guy is huge. I hope Claude comes out alive. "HIS OPPONENT, A NEWBIE TO THE TOURNAMENT, PLEASE WELCOME, CLAUDE KENNI!" There is Claude. He seems. really calm. I can't understand how he can. I turn to Ashton, and he is smiling.  
  
"That's it Claude." I tap him on the shoulder. "Yeah?"  
  
"How can he be so calm?!" I ask. He smiles at me.  
  
"You've heard of the 'calm before the storm', right?" I nod. "Well, that is pretty much what that is. If you want to enter these tournaments, you have to keep yourself from thinking too much."  
  
"Oh." I turn back to the match, and so does Ashton. Both combatants are ready to go.  
  
"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!" Both fighters jump at it. Claude gets the first hit in. And another, and another. He is not letting up. After about 5 minutes, his opponent goes down. The referee calls the match.  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WINNER OF ROUND ONE MATCH ONE, CLAUDE KENNI!!!" Major applause greets this. I sigh and sink back into my seat. Ashton is cheering with everyone else.  
  
"That's how to do it Claude!" Ashton shouts. Claude glances in our direction as he exits the arena. Ashton turns to me. "You OK?" he asks.  
  
"I am going to have a panic attack." I say. He shakes his head.  
  
"Don't worry so much. He'll be fine." I look at him, then decide to drop it. We look out onto the arena as the next match begins. After a few minutes, I feel a tap on my shoulder.  
  
"Ashton, knock it off." I say.  
  
"I'm over here." He says. I look, and he can't ever reach me. I turn around.  
  
"Claude!" I cry. He smiles.  
  
"I did it!" Claude says.  
  
"I'll say." Ashton comments. "You looked like the veteran there." Claude smiles a bit. He looks around a bit, then his smile fades.  
  
"Was Rena here?" he asks. We both shake our heads.  
  
"If she was," I say, "I didn't notice her. Sorry." Claude looks down.  
  
"Where could she."  
  
"CLAUDE!" All three of us turn, and see Rena coming down towards us. She comes down and sits next to Claude. "A guard told me when I got here. Congrats!"  
  
"Rena." Claude starts, but Rena cuts him off.  
  
"Really, if I had known it was the first match, I would have waited." Claude seems confused.  
  
"Rena. you're mad at me, aren't you?" he asks. Rena turns to the match.  
  
"OH!" We all turn.  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" I really want to hurt that announcer. "THIS IS ROUND ONE MATCH EIGHT! ELENT VS DIAS FLAC. WE WEREN'T TOO SURE IF DIAS WAS GOING TO MAKE IT, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, HE IS HERE AND READY TO GO! LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!!" Both fighters start, but Dias only needs two hits to finish his opponent. That is a bit scary. I look at Claude. He is a bit pale. I hope he is all right.  
  
"Excuse me. are you entrant Claude Kenni?" We all turn around and a soldier is standing at the top of the steps. Claude steps up.  
  
"Yes." He says. The guard waves him over.  
  
"The next round is starting, so please go back to the waiting room." Claude leaves.  
  
  
  
**Claude wins 2nd and 3rd rounds. Final round starts**  
  
My heart is racing. Claude has to face Dias now. Rena is shaking. Ashton is loving this. I am not really sure if I want to know what is going on in his mind. As both combatants enter the arena, I am almost afraid to look.  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!" The announcer scared the hell out of me that time. "OUR FINAL MATCH. CLAUDE KENNI VS DIAS FLAC!! WHO WILL BE CROWNED WINNER!? LET THE MATCH BEGIN!" The "match" is over just as it starts. Claude is no match for Dias. Within thirty seconds, it is over. Claude is carried out of the arena.  
  
"Claude." Rena says. Then she runs off. I look at Ashton. He shrugs. We both follow her. When we catch up, she is casting healing spells on Claude like crazy. Claude finally wakes up.  
  
"Ugh. where am I?" he asks.  
  
"It's over." Ashton says. Claude looks at him strangely.  
  
"Over?" He repeats. "I was in the finals."  
  
"You missed by this much." Rena says holding her forefinger and thumb a small space apart. Personally, I think he came nowhere close, but I won't be the one to say it. Ashton throws me a look which tells me that he is thinking the same thing. I look over his shoulders, past Gyoro, and see Dias coming in.  
  
"Dias?!" Claude exclaims. Dias doesn't even flinch.  
  
"I don't remember saying you could call my by my familiar, but no matter." He says.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Claude isn't the only one confused.  
  
"Thought I would express my appreciation." Dias says. Huh?  
  
"What?" Claude asks. Dias turns away.  
  
"Don't let it go to your head. It isn't as if I think highly of you." He turns to Rena. "Don't spoil him." He tells her.  
  
"Huh?" Rena says. Dias turns to the door.  
  
"I'm leaving."  
  
"Dias!" Claude cries. Dias just sighs.  
  
"What." Claude seems to think a moment.  
  
"Will we meet again?" Dias thinks it over a few moments, then nods.  
  
"When the time comes, we probably will." Then he leaves. I just shake my head. Something about him just gives me the chills. Cold shoulder doesn't even come close.  
  
"Let's get ready to go." Claude says. Ashton turns to him.  
  
"You all right?" he asks. Claude nods.  
  
"Yeah. I actually feel kinda light." Rena looks down a bit.  
  
"That is because Rena has been casting her spells like crazy." I tell him. He turns to Rena.  
  
"Is that right?" he asks. Rena gives him a sheepish nod. "Well, then I will have to try that much harder when we begin our investigation again." You gotta admire his spirit sometimes.  
  
"Well, before we go, let's go get the prize for being the runner up." Claude looks at us.  
  
"I get a prize for being runner up?!" he asks. We all facefault.  
  
"Claude." We all say. He looks at all of us, then sweatdrops.  
  
"Oh. right." We head back to the weapons shop.  
  
  
  
**two hours later**  
  
We were able to make good use of the armor. We are standing at the entrance to the city figuring out where to go next.  
  
"PLEASE.." Rena wants to go back to Hilton. I just sigh. Ashton doesn't want to get into this. Claude looks like he is trying not to scream. Finally, we all cave in. We head back to Hilton.  
  
  
  
**Port of Hilton**  
  
"Happy now Rena?" I ask. She doesn't pay any attention to me but runs into one of the shops. I just shake my head and follow her. The boys head off to the weapons shop. I walk in behind Rena, and am very glad I followed. This place has everything we could ever want. I pick up a few things and go up to pay for them. Rena comes up behind me with 20 Resurrection Bottles. I sign for her to just put them up. When the total comes in, we split it up. We leave with our stuff. The boys are waiting for us outside.  
  
"Hey, there you are!" Claude calls. We go up to them and they put our merchandise with the rest of the supplies. Ashton pulls out a set of razor-sharp knuckles.  
  
"Here Rena, these are for you." Rena takes them. She removes the knuckles she is wearing and puts the new ones on. Ashton is still talking. "They call that a Cestus. You should be able to use it if you need to." Rena smiles.  
  
"Thanks." She says. Claude comes over to me and shows me a Crest Rod. He hands it to me.  
  
"This is for you. I'm not really sure what it does, but the shop owner says it should be perfect for you." I take it, and study it a moment. Not to heavy, but very powerful.  
  
"Thank you, Claude." I say. Ashton is staring at the bar. I just shake my head. "Big baby." I say to him. He looks at me.  
  
"Like I care. I want a drink. You coming?" He asks all of us.  
  
"What the hey." Claude says. I turn to Rena.  
  
"We get to be on drunk patrol." I say. Rena starts laughing. The boys turn to us.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ashton says.  
  
"That means we make sure you don't get plastered." Rena says. They shake their heads, then we all head in. The moment we walk in, we see a strange sight. Most of the patrons there are away from the bar. The one male who is sitting at the bar is nailed. There is also a tall female there. She seems fine.  
  
"I win." The female says. The guy is plastered. "So answer the question."  
  
"Wha." he says. The female isn't letting up.  
  
"You said if I beat you in a drinking contest, you would answer my question." The guy doesn't even look at her. I feel like I'm going to be sick just looking at him.  
  
"Whash wash the questions?" he slurs.  
  
"Have you seen a man called Ernest. He has three eyes like me." The guy shakes his head.  
  
"Never.hic. seen anyone like that." He falls asleep. Well, that is better than the alternative. The female looks down.  
  
"Another dead end." She turns to the door, which we are still in front of. She comes up to us.  
  
"Have any of you seen a man with three eyes?" she asks. I shake my head, but Claude steps up.  
  
"Yes I have." He says. The female looks down. I look more closely at her. she does have three eyes. I wonder how that happened?  
  
"Oh, I didn't think." she starts, then lights up. "YOU HAVE?!"  
  
"I'm certain I have." He says. I can't help but wonder what he was doing before I met up with him.  
  
The female jumps on it. "WHERE?! WHEN!?" She almost shouts. Claude keeps cool.  
  
"In a town around Cross Castle just a short time ago."  
  
"Cross!" She repeats, then starts to run off. But before she leaves, she turns to us. "I'm terribly sorry, I forgotten my manners. My name is Opera Vectra." She gives us a small bow. "I hope we meet again." Then she leaves. We turn to each other.  
  
"Do we go after her?" Ashton asks. Claude nods.  
  
"Somehow, I think we should." We head back to the pier, but the ship has already left. Claude talks to the harbormaster, then comes back.  
  
"Well?" Rena asks.  
  
"The next boat leaves in 4 hours." He says. Well, it looks like we are going back to Cross.  
  
  
  
To be continued. 


	15. ch. 15

Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: Weren't you paying attention to the other chapters?  
  
  
  
"Rena?" We are in the throne room of Cross Castle. The King of Cross seems a bit puzzled to see us again. "What is it?"  
  
"If it please Your Majesty," Rena says, "We would like to know if you know anything about a three-eyed woman." The King raises an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, yes! She came in here asking about the three-eyed man we granted audience a few days ago. She is in the mountain palace now, I believe." I raise an eyebrow. Another one? I thought Ashton had it bad.. three eyes?!  
  
"Your Majesty, may we enter the mountain palace again? We should at least make sure she is safe. If she travels alone.." the King cuts Rena off.  
  
"There is no need to remind me of the dangers, Rena. Go ahead. I would rather know she is safe, and I can think of no one better to help her." We bow and curtsey, then leave for the Mountain Palace.  
  
  
  
**at the Mountain Palace**  
  
  
  
"I hate this place, I hate this place, I hate this place.."  
  
"Celine, we get it." Claude snaps me out of my complaining. I really hate this place. One giant maze with no real ending. Just up ahead, we see Opera fuming. We stop a few feet away.  
  
"Why is it so dusty in here?!" Opera practically screams. We look at each other and shrug.  
  
"Maybe because it is a cavern?" Rena responds. Opera stops pacing with her back to us.  
  
"Hmm. I see your point." She suddenly stiffens. Then she snaps around and pulls a strange thing out.. I think some kind of weapon. Whatever it is, I don't want to be hit by it. She puts it away when she sees who it is. "I'm so sorry, you startled me."  
  
"Don't worry." Rena says. We just kind of look at each other a moment, not sure who should make the first move.  
  
"Is there something you need?" Opera finally says. Claude steps up.  
  
"Actually.." Claude pulls Opera aside. We look at each other not quite sure what is going on. Claude is saying something to Opera, and she seems to be arguing with him. I look over at Ashton and Rena.  
  
"What in the world?" I ask. Ashton shakes his head, but Rena steps up.  
  
"What's going on over there?" She says. Claude turns around, a bit red.  
  
"Well.. ummm.." Claude stammers a bit, but Opera starts laughing.  
  
"Don't worry, we aren't that close." She laughs. "I already have my heart set on someone." We all turn to her. "I have a boyfriend. I followed him here, but I lost him. I think he is in here somewhere. So I am looking for him." She seems to think a moment. "There sure are a lot of monsters here though.."  
  
"This place is sort of a nesting site for them." Rena responds. Opera looks at her.  
  
"Could you all come with me?" she asks. "You can keep anything we find on the way." We go into a quick huddle. Then we all decide to do it.  
  
"Sure." Claude says. Opera lights up.  
  
"Thank you so much." She points to the wall. "I think Ernest did this." Claude's jaw drops.  
  
"That must be one piece of equipment he is packing.." he says. I have no clue what is going on. We start moving. After about 2 hours, we are thoroughly lost. But we have come on a strange room. I look down at the floor, and there is some kind of star pattern there. We go in, and there are all sorts of strange things.  
  
"This looks like an experimental facility.." Claude says. Opera looks around.  
  
"But no Ernest.." she looks down. I go up to her and try to comfort her a bit. Claude steps up as well.  
  
"Well, we know he isn't here though." Opera nods. Then she sighs.  
  
"So now what.." she says. Claude gets the 'I've got a great idea' look in his eyes.  
  
"Why don't you come with us?" he says. Opera looks at him.  
  
".....that's right.." she says. She doesn't sound really convinced.  
  
"If you come with us, you may find Ernest. It would be better than just sitting around." Rena says. I nod, and so does Ashton. Opera seems to think a moment.  
  
"Well, I don't really see why not. Maybe I could help you as well." She says. We all smile. Time to get the heck outta here.  
  
  
  
**4 hours later (stupid maze..)**  
  
I'm ready to kiss the ground now that we are out of there. I hope I never have to go in there ever again. My treasure hunts have always taken me to strange places, but I have always been able to find my way out with little to no difficulty. We are walking back to Herlie. We still have to drop off the Ancient Writings we found in Cross Cave. When we finally get to Herlie, the place is practically deserted, like it wasn't before. People seem to be moving as far away from the coasts as possible. Can't really say I blame them. We board the boat and head over to Lacour. Rena, again, is leaning far over the side. Claude and Ashton are both holding on to her trying to keep her from going overboard. Opera sees this and laughs. I can't help but smile as well. Rena is having a ball. Claude and Ashton finally pull her back onto the boat. She gives them both death glares, then goes to the front of the boat.  
  
  
  
**Back on dry land. a.k.a. Lacour**  
  
  
  
We get off at Hilton, then head for Linga. The monsters are getting stronger. But we also notice something else. Opera's weapon shoots some kind of Heraldic power from it. That is the only explanation I can come up for it. It is sure making our battles easier. We finally get to Linga. Since we have no idea where the linguist is, we decide to split up. I go into the University and look around. Some of the classrooms have lectures going on, so I don't want to interrupt. On the second floor, I find some kind of lab. One of the people in it notices me.  
  
"Can I help you, miss?" he asks. I nod.  
  
"I am soo sorry to be a bother," I say, "But could you tell me where I could find a linguist?" he nods.  
  
"Keith lives next to the University Co-op. He is the best linguist in Linga."  
  
"Thank you ever so much." I say. He nods, then I leave. We agreed to meet up after a half an hour back at the town entrance. On the way, I see Ashton and Opera walking back from different parts of the town. We all go up, and see Claude, Rena... and another young girl. Wait, I remember her. I saw her chasing some little blue thing earlier.. she was all over the place.  
  
"What?" Ashton asks. He apparently noticed her as well. "Who's she?" Opera has a sort of blank look on her face.  
  
"Umm.." the girl says, "Maybe I should introduce myself." She twirls around. "I'm Precis. Nice to meet ya!" Rena and Claude must have said she could come. A hyper teenager..exactly what we need..  
  
"Well, we still need to get these writings deciphered." Rena says.  
  
"Well," I begin, "The people at the University said to go to Keith." Ashton looks at me.  
  
"The people at the Library said the same thing." We all stare. Opera puts her two cents in.  
  
"Almost everyone in town says that." This Keith must be pretty good. We all head over to his house. When we enter, we are 'greeted' by an assistant.  
  
"How can I help you..people" What, does he think we are animals or something?! How rude.  
  
"We would like to speak to Keith." The assistant shakes his head.  
  
"You need an appointment." Claude grits his teeth.  
  
"Then we would like an appointment as soon as possible." The assistant seems to think about this a moment.  
  
"Even if you make an appointment now, you would still have to wait a month." Then he begins to push us out the door. Once we are outside, we try to figure something out.  
  
"We can't wait a month!" Claude says. I just look down. There must be some way.  
  
"Precis," Rena says, "Is there anyone he calls a friend here?" I look up. Maybe that is the ticket. Precis seems to think a moment, then lights up.  
  
"That Pharmacy!!" she exclaims. We all look at her.  
  
"The Pharmacy." Rena repeats. Precis is on a roll.  
  
"EVERYONE goes to Bowman's Pharmacy when they have a problem. He always helps them!" We all look at each other.  
  
"Well," Claude says, "What do we have to lose?"  
  
  
  
**Bowman's Pharmacy**  
  
When we enter, we see a man putting various items on a shelf. Precis decides to 'politely' greet him.  
  
"HEY BOWMAN!" The man jumps, and almost drops the bottle. Then, without even turning around, shakes his head.  
  
"What did you do this time Precis.." he says. Precis starts giggling. I decide that I don't really want to know.  
  
"Nothing." Precis says. Bowman turns around and sees us all.  
  
"Well, this is something else.." he says. "What can I do for ya?"  
  
"Pardon us for asking, but could you talk to Keith for us?" Claude asks. Bowman's eyes widen.  
  
"Is there a real reason? He is kinda busy." I step up a bit.  
  
"We wanted him to take a look at some writings we found in Cross Cave." Bowman narrows his eyes. I know where this is going.  
  
"Cross Cave?! And you made it out alive?!" he says. He seems to think a moment.  
  
"We have the writings as proof." Rena says. Bowman shakes his head.  
  
"Some book isn't proof. You could have gotten that anywhere." We all think a moment. There must be some way to convince him that we are telling the truth. Bowman looks up. "I might be convinced if." We all look at him. "If you are good enough for Cross Cave, you should be good enough for the Sanctuary of Linga." We all look at him.  
  
"OK. what do you expect?" Claude asks.  
  
"Well, it has always been a place for herbalists. But in the innermost reaches are herbs that are very valuable. I'm sure you can find something that has yet to be discovered. We look at him.  
  
"Yet to be discovered?!" Claude almost shouts.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" Bowman asks. "I would think it would be no problem for the conquerors of Cross Cave." We head out to the Sanctuary of Linga. Here we go again..  
  
  
  
To be continued. 


	16. ch. 16

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own it, so STOP BUGGING ME!!!  
  
  
  
We enter the cave with caution. Although we think we packed enough supplies, we have no idea how far we will need to go. I look around as we walk. This place is full of herbs. We have to be careful here. Further back, there seem to be less and less vegetation. We search hard, but we are still finding the common herbs that we always see. Claude is asking every two minutes if 'this is it'. Rena tells us that before she met him, he had never heard of herbs. I can't believe it. Well, he is definitely learning something now.  
  
A bit later, we have to take a break. My feet are killing me. I am not the only one who needs to relax. The armor that Claude, Ashton, and Opera are wearing is beginning to wear them down. We find a place to sit and rest.  
  
"So where next?" Rena asks. I look around. There are three paths. The others also look around.  
  
"No clue." Claude says.  
  
"Then why don't we just go up the middle." Opera asks. We all agree to that. Sounds as good as anything right now. We rest a moment more, then head up the chosen path. Then..it branches off again. This is getting annoying. We head off to the right. After a bit, we come to an area with very little plant-life. In the center of it all is something I have never seen in my life. Rena goes up to look at it.  
  
"This may be what we have been looking for!" she exclaims. Claude brings out the bag Bowman gave us to put it in. Rena carefully cuts the stem and puts it in. Then we head back. Only now....the monsters who lived here are not happy. We have to fight every step of the way. By the time we finally reach the entrance, I am exhausted. But we are all alive. We slowly go back to Linga. But instead of hitting the inn, we go straight to Bowman's. This had better be worth it. We go in, and Bowman is helping a woman. We wait for her to leave, but she doesn't seem to be going anywhere. She looks up, then gently tugs Bowman's sleeve. He looks at us.  
  
"Oh! Did you bring it?" he asks. Claude brings him the bag.  
  
"Is this it?" He asks. Bowman takes the plant out of the bag and carefully inspects it. Then his eyes widen.  
  
"How far in did you go?!" he says. "This is a completely new species!!!" he puts it back into the bag, and carefully stores it. Then he turns to the woman. "Nineh, I'll be back in a few." She nods.  
  
"OK, darling. I'll watch the store." She says as we walk out. Once outside, Bowman turns to us.  
  
"Why didn't you say something when you came in?" he asks.  
  
"We thought you were helping that customer." Ashton replies. Bowman is confused a moment, then laughs.  
  
"That isn't a customer, that's my wife." He says. Everyone of us turns red. Bowman goes a bit in front of us. "You needed to speak to Keith, right?" We nod. "Then let's go." We walk up to Keith's house.  
  
"Every time we try to see him, we get kicked out." Claude explains. Bowman seems lost in thought a moment. We arrive at Keith's house. Bowman looks up.  
  
"I have an idea." He says. Then he goes up to the door. "HEY KEITH!!!!!! YOU UP THERE!?!! HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHH!!!!" He steps away from the door. "What in the world is he doing up there?" As he is wondering this, the assistant who kicked us out comes and opens the door.  
  
"What is all the noise out here?!" he demands. Bowman turns around.  
  
"Sorry. It's me." The assistant looks embarrassed.  
  
"Professor!!" he says. Bowman's a professor?  
  
"I'm not a professor...." Bowman says. "Where's Keith?"  
  
"I'll inform him immediately." The assistant goes inside. Well, at least this time we are getting some results. Although I am not really sure about the method. The assistant comes back and gestures for us to come in. We do, and go up the stairs. In the small room, we see a huge pile of books, and a young man.  
  
"Excuse me.." Claude says. The young man looks up. We enter the room, and Bowman steps up.  
  
"You too good for visitors, Keith?" he asks. Keith looks at us.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks. Bowman gestures to us.  
  
"These kids have been trying to see you, but they are getting the brush-off at the door." Keith seems to understand now.  
  
"Oh, that. The palace gave me tons of work on some stupid writings, so I told my assistants to keep people out of my hair." Claude starts fuming.  
  
"Us?!" he says. Bowman turns to us.  
  
"Look, spare the bruised ego routine. What did you want?" Rena steps up.  
  
"We found some Ancient Writings in Cross Cave. We were hoping you could read them. She puts the writings on the desk in front of Keith. He looks at them a moment, then turns to us.  
  
"Hmm.. I think I can get it if I had some time. Could you leave them with me? I want to give it some time." We nod.  
  
"Of course, Professor." I say. He smiles.  
  
"This is much better than a job from some desk jockey. And I owe it to Bowman here." Bowman cracks a huge smile.  
  
"Now this is rare. Did ya hear that one? Keith thanked ME!" We all start laughing, while Keith turns an interesting shade of red.  
  
  
  
**that evening**  
  
It is so nice of Bowman and Nineh to let us stay the night. We finally get a chance to rest. Claude went up to talk to Bowman. We should turn in soon. Claude comes back down with Bowman.  
  
"Bowman has offered to come with us." Claude says. We all look at him. Bowman is over with Nineh.  
  
"Are you sure that's wise?" I ask. I don't like the idea of breaking up a couple.  
  
"He makes some good points." Claude says. Nineh looks up at us, then smiles.  
  
"You don't let anything happen to my Bowman here." She calls. I am surprised she can be so chipper about the whole thing. We all nod. Then we go up to bed.  
  
  
  
**next morning**  
  
We are standing outside, waiting for Bowman. He comes out with some supplies. Most of it is different kinds of herbs. Well, that will be handy. At least we have someone who can use them.  
  
"Everyone ready to go?" he asks. Rena looks at him.  
  
"Did you say good-bye to Nineh?" she asks. Bowman looks at Nineh, then back at us.  
  
"Look, I am not the kind of person who gets all mushy in front of people." We all sweatdrop, and Nineh laughs. "Young people today, they have to have a scene about everything. Nineh, I'm going!"  
  
Nineh smiles. "Have a safe trip!" Bowman nods, then we head for the gates of town.  
  
"So where should we go?" Opera asks. Bowman thinks a moment.  
  
"The first place we should go is Lacour itself. They will have the latest news, and some fresh weapons." We all head for Lacour!  
  
To be continued... 


	17. ch. 17

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it.  
  
A/N: I wrote the entirety of Desert Night without any romance in it. It is not a necessity.  
  
  
  
  
  
We enter Lacour. Something doesn't feel right. As we go into the town gates, a guard turns to us.  
  
"Are you refugees?" he asks. Refugees? Hardly!!  
  
"No..." Claude says. I don't understand.  
  
"You haven't heard?" the guard asks us. We all shake our heads. "El has been conquered by monsters!! And now they are after Lacour!!!" I can't believe it.  
  
"Let us help fight!" Claude pleads. The guard gives us a death glare.  
  
"What are you nuts? You would just be in the way. Now get in the castle!!" Claude sighs, then we all head up to the castle.  
  
**Lacour Castle, Reception desk**  
  
"Excuse me...." one of the people at the desk says. "Who represents your group?" Rena steps up.  
  
"I do." She says.  
  
"And your name and residence?" He has some kind of form in front of him.  
  
"Rena Lanford of Arlia Village in Cross." Rena replies. He writes it down.  
  
"OK, proceed into the castle." We all head in. It is pretty crowded. It pains me to remember that just a few days ago this town was alive with cries of joy and the Tournament of Arms. We find a spot and turn to each other.  
  
"Now what?" Rena asks. We all just look at each other. Good question.  
  
"We can't just sit here..." Claude says. "We should try to find the King." Bowman looks up.  
  
"I think I know where he is." He says. He then walks away a bit. "Follow me." We go with him into a place which really looks like it is off limits. There are soldiers everywhere, but none of them are challenging us. I wonder why? We go into a room with all sorts of equipment. We all fall silent, and we can hear something.  
  
"Is it complete yet?" I can't tell who it is. We just have to listen.  
  
"For the most part." A young boy..that's what it sounds like.  
  
"There is one problem," A woman's voice. This is really confusing.  
  
"What is that?" the first one again.  
  
"There is no material that can withstand the energy release." Another man.  
  
"IT CAN'T BE USED??!!" The first one...he sounds really upset.  
  
"I know where to get the material! I must go to the Hoffman Ruins." The young one again.  
  
"You are sure?" The first voice. There is a pause. I realize I am holding my breath. The others seem to be doing the same. "Well, in that case..." Claude chooses a great time to knock something off the desk. A soldier comes out and sees us.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU!!??" We are so dead. Bowman steps up.  
  
"Please, pardon them for my sake." He says. Then we hear the first voice coming from the other room.  
  
"Bowman?" it says. "Is that you?" We all go into the other room. Bowman bows a bit.  
  
"Yes Your Majesty." He says. We all realize who it is and bow and curtsy accordingly. So this is the King of Lacour!  
  
"What are you doing here though?" the King asks. Bowman steps up.  
  
"We were told to come to the castle when we got to Lacour. But we can't just sit here. If it please your majesty, we require passage to El." The king's eyes go wide.  
  
"EL?!" he almost cries. "What on Expel would you need there?!" This time, it is Claude who steps up.  
  
"We are investigating the Sorcery Globe under authorization of the King of Cross." King Lacour looks at us all.  
  
"Hmmm...perhaps we could help...." He starts, but the young boy cuts him off.  
  
"NO! THEY HAVE SEEN IT! THEY MUST BE IMPRISONED!!" I look at him. What could we have possibly stumbled onto?  
  
"So, you are finished with the Lacour Hope?" Bowman asks. My eyes go wide. I had heard of such a thing, but I though it was just a rumor!!  
  
"What is the Lacour Hope?" Claude asks. Bowman turns to him a moment.  
  
"A Heraldic Weapon which could destroy a small island." The kid's eyes go wide.  
  
"What?" The young boy looks at us. "Hey Gramps, how do you know what it is?" Bowman turns back to him.  
  
"It was being designed when I worked here." He replies. "So, is it done?" The King shakes his head.  
  
"Unfortunately, no." That kind of weapon could really come in handy against the monsters. The kid is jumping up and down again. What are his parents feeding him?  
  
"If I can get to the Hoffman Ruins, I can get the material we need!!!" the kid screams.  
  
"But Leon...." the woman says, "I can't just let you go into a place like that alone..."  
  
"Florence, you know we have no extra soldiers." The other man says. The woman, Florence, looks like she wants to start crying.  
  
"Murdoch.....he is our only son..." she says. The King seems split on what to do. Then Bowman seems to get an idea. I hope this won't be anything bad.  
  
"Your Majesty," he says, "If we take him to the Ruins to get whatever it is he needs, would you then be able to help us?" The King looks at us.  
  
"I think that may be the wisest course." He says. The kid, Leon, looks really thrilled.  
  
"I have to go with these amateurs?!" he cries. The King gives him a stern look. Bowman gives him a smirk.  
  
"Don't worry kid. We have 'The Warrior' with us." Claude looks like he is ready to sink through the floor. Leon just shakes his head.  
  
"Do you actually believe anyone puts any faith in that stupid fairy tale?" Now Claude looks pissed. I wish he would make up his mind. "Well," Leon continues, "I guess I have no choice. If they are going to be such babies, they can come." The King smiles.  
  
"Wonderful!!!!" he says. "Lets get moving. I will order the ship to depart from Hilton to the Ruins. Leon, everyone, we are counting on you." We all bow again, then head out with our new "friend" Leon.  
  
To be continued...... 


	18. ch. 18

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Haven't' you been reading?  
  
A/N: Thank you for correcting me on Leon's mother's name. You are probably right; I haven't seen that scene for a month now, so I was trying to do it from memory. Thanks for pointing it out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"....and that's why I am so much smarter than you." Leon didn't shut up the whole way to Hilton. I didn't pay much attention, but Bowman is gritting his teeth. Opera looks like she wants to say something, but won't. Claude is ready to punch someone. This is going to be a great trip. The brat from hell. We finally enter the town. Leon runs up to inspect the ship. We all take the time to relax.  
  
"Kid doesn't know the word 'quiet', does he." Bowman comments. I just shake my head.  
  
"He can't be more than, what, about 12 years old. How does he have so much energy for his mouth?" Rena asks. Ashton has run off somewhere. So has Opera now that I look around. The others seem to notice also. We look around the city for a bit. When we all get back, Opera and Ashton are sitting there waiting for us. We all groan and join them.  
  
"What?" Ashton asks. I just shake my head again.  
  
"Where were you two?" Claude asks. They both hold up bags.  
  
"Shopping. We need supplies for this." I take one of the bags. Blueberries, Blackberries, Resurrection Bottles, some food, and some herbs. OK fine. So they did. Claude is looking through one of the bags that Opera has. Opera pulls out some kind of weird box, and puts in her weapon. Claude hands out the other weapons. A really sharp set of knuckles for Bowman, and another for Rena. A new rod for me. A gleaming set of extremely sharp short swords for Ashton. But, what is that huge book they have?  
  
"Hey Leon!" Opera calls. Leon is coming back from the ship. He walks up to us.  
  
"What?" he asks. Opera hands the book to him. He looks it over, then splits a huge smile. Whatever the reason, he is really happy.  
  
"Is the ship ready to go?" Claude asks. Leon nods.  
  
"They are just waiting for us." He responds. We all head over to the ship.  
  
  
  
**On the ship**  
  
  
  
Great, now there are two of them. Rena is, yet again, leaning over the side. Claude is holding her for dear life. Meanwhile, on the other side, Opera is trying to keep Leon from going over. He is saying something about the fish he can see. I just shake my head. Bowman doesn't look like he should do something or not. Ashton just smiles. This is going to be a long trip.  
  
  
  
**Hoffman Ruins Island (I can't think of anything better, and I don't think there is a name for it anyway**  
  
We finally come ashore. The row boat is on the beach, and soldier is there waiting for us to return. We head over to the ruins. They are huge!! How will we ever find our way in there? On top of that, the monsters seem to have taken a liking to this island. Leon just hides behind either myself or Rena. Can't really blame the kid. But why was he insisting on going by himself if he can't defend himself? When we finally make it inside the ruins, we are blocked. There is a huge door, but no way to open it.  
  
"A dead end..."Claude says. Leon steps up to the door.  
  
"Perhaps to you." He says. "But I can have it open in two seconds." Claude grits his teeth. This kid's attitude is starting to get annoying. He goes up to the door. "See, you just push this one..."Leon pushes the circle, it clicks, but nothing happens.  
  
"Umm, it's not open.."Rena points out. Leon is starting to sweat.  
  
"Wait!!" He shouts. He goes over to the other side of the door. "This one!" he pushes the circle on the other side of the door. Like the other one, it clicks, then nothing. Now he is really starting to turn red. "Ummm...maybe over here?" He pushes the first circle again. We are all starting to get impatient. King Lacour is waiting!  
  
"It's still not opening...." Claude says. Leon looks at us.  
  
"It's just not quite working right today." He says. He thinks a moment, then looks up at Claude. "I know!! Big Brother Claude, push that one when I push this one!" Claude sighs, but does it. The door rumbles a moment, then disappears into the walls. I gasp. I have never seen anything that could do that! We head on in. There is some kind of device which takes us to another level of the ruins. We have to fight off some pretty strong monsters here. They must have taken this place as a nest grounds. Again, Leon is hiding behind us. After one really hard battle, we all turn to Leon.  
  
"Just out of morbid curiosity," Claude says, "Why did you want to come here alone for anyway?" Leon looks down.  
  
"I didn't think all these monsters would be here..." he says. We just sigh. Then we continue on. Opera stops suddenly. We all fall back to see what is going on.  
  
"Opera?" I ask. She points to a strange handle.  
  
"What would happen if we pull this?" She asks. Leon, without waiting for anyone, goes up and pulls it, triggering a huge explosion!! We all fall back as fast as we can. All I know is that everything went black, then I could distantly hear Rena casting her Cure All spell. When my vision finally clears, I look around. Rena looks all right, and the others are slowly coming around. Leon looks like he got the most of it. Gee, I wonder why? After we are all taken care of, Rena turns her attention to Leon specifically. It takes a few more spells for Leon to come around. Claude practically pounces on him.  
  
"DON'T YOU EVER DO ANYTHING STUPID LIKE THAT AGAIN!!" He shouts. Leon is visibly scared. Rena pushes Claude back.  
  
"The last thing he needs right now is you yelling at him." She says. Leon seems to get some of his previous attitude back. Claude seethes a bit more, then finally calms down. We hurry over to where Leon claims the 'Energy Stone' is.  
  
  
  
**three hours later...I really hate this place..-_-**  
  
  
  
We finally found it. The Energy Stone is glowing, green ore with powerful Heraldic powers. Leon rushes up to collect it. But even he stops short when Rena lets out a scream.  
  
"Rena?!" Ashton goes over to her worried. Rena is staring at her pendant.  
  
"It's glowing...." she whispers. I don't understand. Why..I choose a great time to look up.  
  
"LEON!!!!" I cry. He looks up at me, then back at the two strange monsters which have dropped behind him. I quickly cast Starlight to give him a chance to get away. He does, then comes up right next to me. The fighters start pounding away, while Rena keeps everyone on their feet. As I am casting an Energy Arrow, I hear something next to me. Once the spell has gone off, I look down, and see Leon glowing faintly.  
  
"Leon?" I hear Rena's voice, and look. She is just as confused. Then we both find out what is going on.  
  
"DEEP FREEZE!!" Leon shouts. Instantly, the two monsters are incased in ice. It doesn't last long, but it does some decent damage. He immediately powers up another one. "BLACK SABER!!" A dark blade slices through both of them. Where did this kid learn this stuff?  
  
A little later, the battle is finally over. We all look around. I look next to me, intending to ask Leon about those spells. But he is gone. We all look around. Finally, Leon comes out from behind a couple of pillars.  
  
"You all right?" Claude asks.  
  
"Yeah...." Leon responds. Claude nods, then goes up and takes some of the ore.  
  
"Here Leon. You found it, so you hold it." Leon goes up, takes the ore, then puts into his coat pocket. We head back outside.  
  
  
  
**another 5 hours of trying to find the way out.**  
  
  
  
When this whole thing is over, I am going to Trilton**, and taking a nice vacation. This is way too much for my nerves. We finally get out of there, and head back to the boat. Before we can leave the ruins, Opera runs off. We follow her, and end up in a clearing. A man is there, but I can't really tell much about him since his back is too us.  
  
"Ern?" Opera asks. Is this the person she is looking for? The man turns around.  
  
"My dear Opera...so good of you to have followed me." There is something here I don't really like. I look at Ashton, since he is next to me. It looks like he has the same feeling. We just watch though.  
  
"Ern?" Opera asks again. He takes a few steps toward her.  
  
"Oh my dear Opera, how I love you so." Opera seems confused. If he is her boyfriend, then why wouldn't he say this kind of stuff to her? Opera takes a step back, and pulls out her weapon. Something is seriously wrong here.  
  
"Stay back!!" Opera cries. The man looks over at us.  
  
"My dear Opera, that child has the Energy Stone...a young boy like him shouldn't have it. It belongs to me. Please give it to me." We all look at Leon. He shakes his head and backs up.  
  
"Who are you!" Opera demands. The man, is it the Ernest she is looking for? He looks at her.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll never leave your side again." Opera points her weapon at him.  
  
"Come any closer and I'll shoot!!" she yells. The man has no fear.  
  
"But darling, didn't you come out here to see me? What can I say, I love you." He goes over to her, and Opera, true to her word, shoots. Then she drops to her knees.  
  
"Ern.." she whispers. Then she gets up and goes over. For a few moments, she is out of sight behind some bushes. Then the man comes back, holding her as a hostage!!!!  
  
"I tried to be nice..." The man says. "But you didn't listen. You wanted to be loved by this man, but you were not." Opera growls.  
  
"Ernest would never woo a woman like that." She says. The man pulls her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. I want to do something, anything. But how can I do something that won't endanger her?  
  
"Fine. I'll just take the stone then." He looks at us. You can fight if you wish, but do it at the risk of her life." Oh no...now what? We all look at each other. Do we fight?  
  
  
  
To be continued....  
  
  
  
Authors Notes: Trilton is a place I made up. I thought Lacour should have more than one harbor town, so I decided on that. 


	19. ch.19

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Take a wild guess.  
  
  
  
We have to think fast. Opera is in danger the longer she is with him, but we can't give up the Energy Stone. Everyone is trying to think of some way. I look at him, and rub my eyes a bit. Some kind of shadow is coming out of him. It is above his head.....and clear of both the man and Opera. I sign for Leon to come over to me.  
  
"Leon," I whisper, "Do you see the shadow...."  
  
"Above his head?" Leon finishes. "Yes." The idea seems to click. He powers up a spell, and I power up my Energy Arrow. We let them loose at the same time. The combination of the Dark spells increases their power, and they hit the shadow. It is destroyed in that one shot. I didn't think it would go down that quickly. There must be some....reason......OH NO!!  
  
Opera is freed, and steps away. The man behind her just collapses. That shadow must have taken some of his life energy as well!!! Opera looks to Rena, pleading. Rena goes over and starts casting her cure spells. It takes a while, but he finally comes around. He sits up slowly, with Opera helping him.  
  
"Ern.." Opera whispers. He stands up, still a little shaky.  
  
"Are you all right Opera?" he says. "I hope I haven't hurt you." Opera shakes her head.  
  
"It wasn't your fault." She replies. The man turns to all of us.  
  
"Please forgive me, I haven't introduced myself." He takes a moment to steady himself. "I am Ernest Raveide. I am an archeologist. I came here to study ruins of a Heraldic civilization, but I seem to have messed it up." We all introduce ourselves to him. Opera turns to us.  
  
"Oh dear....." I wonder what could be wrong? "Since I have found Ern," Opera continues, "I have no more reason to be with you all." So, does that mean she is just leaving?  
  
"Please, we would like it if you would continue to travel with us." Rena says. Opera looks at us all a moment.  
  
"You like me because I'm good in battle?" she asks. We quickly shake our heads.  
  
"That isn't the only reason, why, it isn't even the main one!!" I say. Opera seems to think a moment. Then she turns to Ernest.  
  
"Say Ern.." she says. Ernest looks at her a moment.  
  
"That's right....."he finally says. Then he turns to us. "Would you mind if I came along as well?"  
  
"Not at all." Claude tells him.  
  
"Did you all forget we need to get back to Lacour!!??" Leon shouts. We all head over to the boat.  
  
  
  
**Back in Lacour**  
  
  
  
We enter the throne room. I am surprised that no one seems to notice that we have an extra person with us. Leon runs ahead. We all follow. The king looks up at us. Next to him are Leon's parents.  
  
"Oh, you have returned!!" the king says. Were you able to get the ore?" Leon goes up to him and shows him.  
  
"Here it is Your Majesty." He says. The king lights up.  
  
"Oh, good job! Quickly, get this installed in the Lacour Hope!!" Leon's parents leave with the ore, and Leon goes with them. Then the King turns to us. "Now, about your punishment....." We all look up shocked.  
  
"Punishment, sire?" Bowman asks. The king chuckles a bit.  
  
"Don't get so excited. We have checked you out and we know you can be trusted." I turn a bit red. But I hold my tongue. "We also realize that we can trust you with a greater purpose." Huh?  
  
"What would Your Majesty have us do?" Rena asks.  
  
"You are the sharp ones!! We would like your skills on the front line defense." We look at each other.  
  
"There is a front..." Claude almost whispers. The king nods.  
  
"Yes, but they are just barely holding. We would like you to assist until the Lacour Hope can be brought into position." The king looks at us. "Please defer your investigation until this has been accomplished." We all agree, then head up to the front.  
  
  
  
**Lacour Front Line Defense**  
  
  
  
The trip up here was far from quiet. In fact, the monsters seem to be doing everything in their power to keep us away. But they failed, and we are here. We go up to the counter and get some better weapons, then head up to the Commander's office. We go and stand with some others who have also been summoned.  
  
"It is good of you to all help us. We welcome all new allies." One of the others there looks familiar. I can't quite pin it down though.  
  
"Thank you." Claude says. The man I was looking at turns to us. I thought I recognized him. It's Dias!! We all turn our attention back to the commander.  
  
"We will be expecting the best from all of you." Dias steps up a bit.  
  
"The situation for our side is bad." He says. The commander sweats a bit.  
  
"Why would you say that?" he asks. Dias doesn't even flinch.  
  
"I have never heard of Lacour hiring fighters." The commander sweats a bit more.  
  
"Let's call it a day, shall we?" he says. We are all dismissed. I go outside to check out the stations. I hope there will be time to rest soon.  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued....... 


	20. ch. 20

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: -_- Do you really have to ask?  
  
  
  
The sunlight starts to fade into night. I really should go to the room they gave us. I...just don't want to. With all that is happening, will I ever see the sun set again? I feel someone tap my shoulder. When I turn, it is Ashton.  
  
"You should go inside you know. We have an early start." I nod.  
  
"I'll be in soon." I promise. He isn't buying it, and neither are Gyoro and Urunun. I just shake my head, then follow them inside. When we get near our room, the others turn to us. I notice something else, Dias is there. I don't know why, and I hope I don't have to actually ask.  
  
"Hey Celine!" Bowman calls. Precis is jumping up and down.  
  
"The WAY COOL swordsman is coming too!!!" she shouts. I try to keep my face neutral. As far as I can see, I am succeeding. This is going to be a great trip. I think I can feel my annoyance quota rising.  
  
"Oh." I can't believe I said that. Everyone looks at me like I am some sort of demon. I quickly retreat into our room. A moment later, Rena, Opera, and Precis join me.  
  
"Are you all right with this?" Rena asks me. "You didn't sound too happy about Dias coming." I can't even look at her. I hide my face in my pillow. That is, until a certain over-hyper teenager by the name of Precis comes up and grabs it.  
  
"Come on!!!" she yells. "You can't possibly have something against him." I look her in the eye.  
  
"You mean besides his attitude?" I ask her. Rena just shakes her head. Opera is confused.  
  
"I know he isn't the most sociable person in the world.."Rena says. "But give him a chance, please?" I just sigh. Then I nod. I really don't feel like arguing right now. We all pick beds, then go to sleep for the night.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Next morning........rise and shine!!!**  
  
  
  
Everyone is at battle stations. We all pretty much are just walking around, getting a feel for everything. I am chatting with Opera, pretty much girl stuff.  
  
"No, no, no. You have to match the eyes." I tell her for the hundredth time.  
  
"If you can off-set the skin, you can do so much more." I have to roll my eyes.  
  
"You choose gems that match the eyes. Only bracelets go against the skin." I know I am right.  
  
"Uh-uh. If you get a nice sapphire..." We are interrupted by the shouts of soldiers.  
  
"MONSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Someone shouts. We rush up to the battlements. Everyone is gathered within seconds. In the sky, is a huge bird...bat..what is that thing anyway?  
  
"Well, I didn't expect such a warm welcome." It says. I grasp my staff. Everyone else is ready with their weapons. "Well, if you wish, I can play a bit before I KILL YOU ALL!!!" He charges in.  
  
  
  
**Three hours of battle...feels like eternity...that's why I'm not writing it all in.**  
  
  
  
"Not bad." It says. I look around. Everyone is still standing, but that is about it. The monster leaves just as quickly as it came. I take the opportunity to collapse. But instead of hitting the ground, I feel someone catch me. I open my eyes, and I see Ashton holding me. I look at him questioning, and he just motions for me to keep quiet. I close my eyes again, and I can faintly hear Rena casting her spells. Within an hour, everyone is back on their feet and steady. I stand up and turn to Ashton.  
  
"Why did you catch me?" I blurt out. I am really doing great today. Ashton turns red.  
  
"Well..I couldn't just let you fall...and I was the closest..." The more he speaks, the more red he turns. I smile at him.  
  
"Thank you." I say. We all go back inside for some much needed rest.  
  
  
  
To be continued..... 


	21. ch. 21

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: (groan)  
  
  
  
A/N: Yeah...I forgot about Precis for a while....I do on the game too. She is the one holding the Trickster ^_^ Don't worry, I have plans for Little Miss Hyper.  
  
  
  
  
  
How long has it been? Right after the battle, we got news that the Energy Stone was ready and on its way. So where is it? These battles are not getting any easier. I am just wandering around right now. There's Ashton. What's he looking at? I think I should see.  
  
"Hi Ashton." I say. He jumps, then turns around. Why is he so embarrassed?  
  
"Oh, uh, hi Celine..." All right buddy, spill.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ashton looks at me. I look past him....to a tray of gems. "What's all this for?" Ashton turns an even deeper shade of red.  
  
"Ummm..nothing?" You're not fooling me buster.  
  
"Got a special someone?" I ask. He just looks down. Gyoro and Urunun start laughing. Ashton tries to grab their mouths, but they dodge. This is kinda funny.  
  
"Ummm...No one in particular..." he says still trying to grab the dragons. This, of course, makes them laugh even harder. Ashton finally gives up. "Well, there is one person...." he finally says. I wonder who?  
  
"Am I permitted a name, or is it a secret?" Ashton turns away.  
  
"Sorry Celine, I can't say." I wonder why he turned away all of a sudden. I think I should leave now. But before I can even take a step, a sound very familiar to us comes up loud. The alarm. The monsters are returning. We both run up to the battlements. The others are already there.  
  
"IF YOU'RE COMING, HURRY UP ALREADY!" Precis is taunting them..this is exactly what we need. Claude and Dias are talking about something, but I can't make it out over all the noise. We look up in the sky.....and see the mother load of monsters coming for us. There is no way we can hold them off. I feel Ashton's hand on my shoulder, and I smile at him.  
  
"I guess this is it..." he says. I can't speak at all. I just nod.  
  
"WE DON'T NEED ANY MEANINGLESS FIGHTING!" We all turn, and Leon is coming up. He stops and looks at Precis. "Hey Precis!!"  
  
"What do you want?" she asks. He holds out a strange device, like the one Precis has.  
  
"Could you try using this?" he asks. Precis takes it, then Leon goes up to the cannon. Precis just shakes her head, then turns to watch him. So do the rest of us. As we watch, the cannon starts to glow a greenish color. Then a huge burst of energy comes out of it. Within seconds, there is a huge explosion, and all of the monsters are gone. Everyone is silent for a moment. Leon comes down smiling.  
  
"What...." The soldiers are still in shock. So are the rest of us.  
  
"So what did you think?" Leon asks. "That's the Lacour Hope!" Everyone starts cheering. Leon turns to us.  
  
"Is that what you have been working on all this time?" Claude asks. Leon smiles.  
  
"I could do that in two days." I groan. Dias is confused. He isn't familiar with Leon's 'I'm better than you' attitude.  
  
"You're confident, like always." Rena comments. Leon looks up at her.  
  
"But I CAN!" He insists. I groan. This is way too much for me. "Oh, almost forgot, mamma and pappa wanted to speak to you guys." Huh? We all head out. Florice and Murdoch meet us inside the main building.  
  
"There you all are!" Murdoch says.  
  
"Leon says there is something you need." Rena says. They both nod.  
  
"His Majesty wants to plan for the invasion of El. We would very much like it if you were part of it." Well, we can't really do much else. So we head back to Lacour Castle.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Lacour Castle, throne room**  
  
  
  
"Well, we should act quickly to get this invasion off." The King says. "The Lacour Hope has proven its worth, and we can't give them a chance to retaliate. We must act now." The king pauses a moment, looking over us. I try to stay calm. "We are going to sail the Lacour Hope to El, and use it to destroy Eluria." What?! But...what if the innocent people of El are still....  
  
"But Your Majesty, what would happen to the people on El?" Rena beat me to it. The King smiles.  
  
"Have no fear. We will not fire the moment it comes into view. We will send a commando unit onto the continent to gather the people and lead them to safety." The King looks us over again. "We would like you to be that commando unit." We all nod. "Then let's get going.  
  
  
  
**Port of Hilton**  
  
  
  
I can't get over how ugly that ship is. True, it serves the purpose, but that is about all it does. I wander around a bit. Opera and Ernest are off in their world. Precis is trying to take something apart. I have to smile at that. Rena, Dias, and Claude are talking on the bridge. Leon is yelling at a couple of the guards. Bowman is staring off into space. I resist the urge to push him in the water. Ashton is wandering around like I am. I go over to him.  
  
"Hey Ashton." I say. He looks up at me.  
  
"Hi Celine." His voice sounds a bit depressed, even for him.  
  
"You all right?" I ask. He nods, but I know better.  
  
"I.... I'm a bit nervous about this mission I guess." Apparently, he realized he wasn't fooling me. "What if we never come back?"  
  
"Afraid your 'special someone' will never hear you?" I ask. He looks down, but nods. "Don't worry, you have an incentive to stay alive. Take it." He looks up and smiles at me.  
  
"ALL HANDS BOARD!!" The ship must be ready to go. Well, here goes nothing.  
  
  
  
**deep sea, passing lines of defense**  
  
  
  
We have all been asked to stay on the deck in case it is needed. So far, it has been quiet, but I don't think it will stay that way.  
  
"Passing Absolute Line of Defense..." the ship captain says. I clutch my rod tighter. Ashton has his short swords out. Actually, everyone has their weapons out. The commander smiles a bit.  
  
"There is no need to worry. Remember, we have the Lacour Hope." I can't relax. I have this really strange feeling that we are about to be attacked with force. Just as I am having these thoughts, it comes.  
  
"Bogies at 10:00!! Aerial squadron!!" We all panic, but the commander stays calm. "Prepare the cannon!!" Leon goes behind the cannon, while his parents prepare it. "FIRE!!" The Lacour Hope takes aim, fires, hits.........and is deflected. No effect at all......and here they come!!!  
  
  
  
We were able to take that wave. Actually, it wasn't that hard. But then, I look up again. The leader is still up there. As we watch, he rises up...and dives straight for us. We are forced to battle.  
  
  
  
**Battle with Shin(is that the right name?)  
  
Why is nothing working? I am throwing all of my spells at him, but he is absorbing it. The blows from the fighters are also being absorbed. What is going on? I close my eyes and power up another spell.  
  
"NO!" I open my eyes, and end up canceling my spell. I look. Rena is crying, and holding Claude. He is down. So are Dias, Precis, Bowman, Opera and Ernest. Only Rena and myself are still standing from our group. And then....a huge wave comes up....and everything goes black.  
  
To be continued..... 


	22. ch. 22

Heraldic Mage  
  
Disclaimer: I no own.  
  
A/N: I have no idea what Rena and Claude are doing. That is their business. This is Celine.  
  
  
  
Help.......I'm sinking.....it's so dark....Why? Ashton, you never did tell me..... I never told you...... I never told myself either....why now?  
  
  
  
"Celine, please wake up..." that sounds like Ashton.  
  
"What, are you in love with her or something?" That is Precis.....why did that sound like an accusation?  
  
"What if I do?" Ashton again. I can almost hear the tears....  
  
I open my eyes. I am on a beach somewhere. Ashton is shaking me and pleading for me to wake up. I shake the cobwebs out of my head. How in the world did I survive that?!  
  
"Celine!!" Everyone shouts. But, I look around. Rena is not awake yet. Dias is next to her trying to rouse her. I hope she is all right. After a few minutes, she finally comes around. Something is missing, but I can't put my finger on it....Claude!! What, where? What is happening?  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Bowman asks. I can't feel anything broken. We look around.  
  
"Claude..where is he?" Rena asks. If he isn't here....could he have possibly......I don't want to think about it. Everyone else on the ship...I can't take this!  
  
"Rena, calm down. We don't know he's gone." Opera says. Rena turns to her.  
  
"He's just somewhere else, that's all." Ernest adds. Rena sighs. Dias looks around.  
  
"We are too open here." He says.  
  
"Where are we anyway?" Ashton asks.  
  
"Think about it a moment." Dias returns. I think a moment.....we were only a stone's throw from.......El. So we are here..only by ourselves. I look around at everyone else. Then we hurry on to find shelter.  
  
  
  
**in the refugee Colony of El**  
  
  
  
"Who are you?" Someone asks. We all turn to her.  
  
"We are sorry for intruding, but we need shelter." Rena tells her. She looks at us.  
  
"You are refugees from where?" she asks.  
  
"Actually," Ashton says. "We fell off a ship and drifted here." The woman gasps.  
  
"A ship!!??" she says. A young man comes out from another room.  
  
"If you are new here, you should see the Leader." He says.  
  
"Is it all right if I wait for a friend of mine?" Rena asks. The young man thinks a moment, then nods.  
  
"You can wait for a little bit, but then you should come with or without them." Then he goes into another room.  
  
"Claude..." Rena seems lost.  
  
"Rena, sweetheart, don't worry." I have to try to cheer her up. "He'll waltz in here acting like nothing happened." Rena looks up at me.  
  
"I'm not worried." She says. Yeah right. I am about two steps from telling you two to get a room. If she's not worried, I'm not a mage. We all turn to her. There must be some way.....  
  
"RENA!" We turn around, and we see Claude and Leon coming up. I never thought I would be so happy to see that little brat. Rena runs and tackles Claude. Then she refuses to let go. Not worried, huh?  
  
"Are you all right Claude?" Ashton asks.  
  
"Yeah. Everyone else OK?"  
  
"We came ashore, and you were missing." Opera chimes in. Then there is silence for a moment.  
  
"Either get a room or get some space in there." I say. Rena lets go and jumps back. Both of them sweatdrop.  
  
"OH!" Rena looks up suddenly. "I almost forgot. The people here said that when the person I was waiting for came, I should take them to the leader." Claude scratches his head a bit.  
  
"What does he want?" he asks. Leon steps away.  
  
"I think he just wants to talk to us." Rena replies. Then she seems to notice that Leon is looking around.  
  
"Mamma? Poppa?" he says. Oh dear, his parents are gone?  
  
"Leon...." Claude says.  
  
"They are gone.." Leon seems to be giving up. Claude kneels down in front of him.  
  
"You still don't know for sure, do you?" Leon still looks down. "Come on, maybe the leader here has heard something." We all head into the room of the leader of the colony.  
  
  
  
  
  
**with the leader**  
  
  
  
"Thank you for helping my friends." Claude says. The leader looks at him.  
  
"No thanks are necessary. But how are you? If you need rest, we can speak later." A woman on the other side of the room comes up to us.  
  
"Wait, did you all come from Lacour?!" she asks.  
  
"Umm, yes." Rena says. The woman beams.  
  
"I knew they would come for us! Where are the ships to take us?" We all look down. The leader's aide speaks up.  
  
"If you think about it a moment, can't you understand?" he says. The woman is confused.  
  
"We're sorry." Rena says.  
  
"Huh?" the woman asks.  
  
"Lacour must have been defeated." The leader says.  
  
"Yes, that's true." Claude confirms. Everyone is silent a moment.  
  
"This can't.....it can't be true.." the woman seems like she is in shock.  
  
"The Sorcery Globe, this can be the only reason why the monsters have  
  
gotten so strong." The leader says. Claude looks up.  
  
"What has happened where the Globe landed?" he asks.  
  
"The town was destroyed. But also, monsters started to appear there. In fact, many believe that it is the source of the monsters." The leader looks down. "We are all doomed...."  
  
"If that is the source, then we must destroy it." Claude says.  
  
"Claude!" Opera yells. We are all in shock. But he is right. That may be the only way.  
  
"You're mad!" the woman doesn't approve either. The leader turns to her.  
  
"That may be our only means of fighting back. Why else would we have kept our weapons?" he turns back to us. "If this is the course you choose, we will help in any way we can." We start to leave, but Claude and Leon remain. We turn back to them.  
  
"Can I ask you one more thing?" Claude says. The leader nods. "Other than us, has anyone else washed up?" The leader thinks a moment.  
  
"None that I know of." He says. Leon looks down. Claude kneels down and whispers something to him. Leon seems to think a moment, then nods and comes over to us.  
  
"Could you watch over his parents if you see them?" Claude asks the leader.  
  
"That is not a difficult request. We will watch over anyone we find." We all thank him, then head out. It's time to put an end to this.  
  
  
  
To be continued...... 


	23. ch. 23

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: The same as everything else. Haven't you gotten the idea by now?  
  
  
  
This.....this place used to be a beautiful city. Now, some kind of strange tower is all that there is. I have to fight back tears. How could this have happened? Ashton tries to hold me, but I have to push him away. This isn't the time. We have to stop all this. I hope he understands.  
  
"Don't worry Celine. We are not far from ending this." Ashton says. Why is it then, I don't see it ending? We cautiously approach the building.  
  
"INSERT IDENTIFICATION CARD" Huh? What was that? It didn't sound like a person's voice. Claude walks up to it and inserts a strange piece of material. "ACCESS GRANTED" What was that?  
  
"Claude, where did you get that?" Dias asks. Claude turns to us.  
  
"The shopkeeper in the colony had it." He responds. We enter the tower. And before we can take 2 steps, we are attacked. The monsters in here are tough. It takes a while before we are able to defeat them. We look around on this floor, and Leon suddenly runs up to a statue.  
  
"This has a letter on it..." He says. We make note of it, and then head up the stairs. We look around on this floor. As I am checking out a side section, I find a nice looking bracelet. I use one of the spectacles to check it out. It doesn't seem dangerous....so I put it on. We head into another room.  
  
"Ummm..guys?" What is it now Precis.... "Where did this diamond come from?" Huh? I look in the bag, and that is not the only thing we find. More blueberries, some other jewels, and some paralysis checks. How did all of this get here? This is strange. There are no shops here, so no one went on a sudden spree.  
  
"Hey Celine, where did you get that bracelet?" Opera asks me. I point into the room where I found it. "Can I see it a moment?" I take it off and hand it to her. She inspects it a moment. Then she just shrugs.  
  
"You have strange tastes." Rena says. I groan a bit. Ernest is looking at it now. Why would he be interested?  
  
" 'Ye who wear this charm shall attract good fortune to thyself and thy friends'. Well, that may explain a bit." What?! Does it really say that on the bracelet? I thought it was just a jewel!  
  
"Cool!!" Precis is happy about anything. Bowman is ready to leave now. We all head into the next room. There is some kind of tube thing. We go up into it. Somehow, we are brought up into another room. This is strange. There is some kind of statue here, but different from the others we saw coming up. Claude goes up to it. He presses a few things, then some kind of card comes out. Claude turns to us and just shrugs. We all head into another one of the tube things. But this time, we have to figure out where to go next. Somehow, we all vote on going left. Claude inserts the card we just got into a slot, and the pillars just disappear?! I have got to find out how they are doing that. It looks like the others want to know too. We go in and end up at a dead end.  
  
"Well, this was a great move." Ashton comments. Something is wrong here.  
  
"Why do I feel like I am being watched?" I ask. Dias has his sword out. I still think he is paranoid. Bowman looks ready to fight also. So why is it no one else..Ashton just pulled out his swords. It looks like just about everyone has a weapon ready.  
  
//COME....IN........// What was that?!  
  
"What?" Rena is confused also.  
  
//THIS ....IS...CALNUS....SGN..CLAUDE...NNI...// Claude seems to be almost in shock!  
  
"Claude?" Rena asks.  
  
//PREPARE...EMERG....BEAM......10 SECONDS....//  
  
"Damn!! Not now!!" Claude !? What is happening!?  
  
"Claude!!" Rena cries.  
  
"Are they trying an emergency beam-up?" Opera asks. I look at Opera and Ernest. They seem to know exactly what is happening. It must not be good if they are reacting like that. But.....what is beam-up?  
  
"Stay back!!" Claude shouts. He runs to the center of the room. Then some kind of bright light shines from where he is and blinds us. When my vision clears..Claude is gone. Rena runs to where he had been standing.  
  
"Claude.." I don't really know what to do now. What kind of magic was that?  
  
  
  
**about an hour later**  
  
  
  
"Rena.....he's gone." Opera says. We are all a bit grim. He's gone, just like that. I still can't believe it. I am leaning against Ashton. He is shocked also. Precis and Leon seem like they are lost. Bowman and Dias just stare where Claude was standing. Opera and Ernest are talking quietly about something.  
  
"Rena..." Dias finally says. "We have to get going." Rena sighs, but doesn't move. Dias just shakes his head. Before anyone can do anything else, the bright light comes again. This time, Claude is standing there when it clears. Rena runs up to him.  
  
"HOW COULD YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT AND WORRY EVERYONE!?" she yells. I slap my forehead. I'm not sure if they love each other or hate each other. Claude just sweatdrops.  
  
"Sorry.." he says. Rena is fuming.  
  
"Don't give me that!" They both just stare a moment. Then Claude gets a look of urgency on his face.  
  
"Quickly, we have to leave this area." Huh? That was rather sudden. But we do. After a moment, Rena and Claude come up as well. I wonder what they stopped for? We head through the other set of pillars, and up the tube again. When we enter the next room.....We find Shin. I am not happy to see him. No one else is either.  
  
"Well, I never thought you would survive that fall." He says. Is he laughing at us?  
  
"You're going down this time!" Claude shouts. We enter combat.  
  
  
  
**Boss battle, like you don't know who wins**  
  
  
  
That was a royal pain. But not as much as I expected it to be. We go on after Rena takes care of a few healing spells. We come up on a strange room. The place is huge. In the center....is that the Sorcery Globe? It seems to be hovering...  
  
"HALT. DO NOT MOVE." Who is that?  
  
"Why does that woman have a quadratic key?" another voice asks. Rena steps up.  
  
"Who are you?!" she shouts. We can hear the sound of something being charged up. Claude jumps in front of Rena seconds before it would have hit her. He is hurt, but alive. Rena casts a few healing spells on him.  
  
"Hold on Claude." She says.  
  
"Powers of healing.....you must be Nedian!" another voice. How many of them are there?  
  
"Ned.ian?" Rena says. We all look at each other. I for one don't understand.  
  
"Why did you destroy this city?!" Bowman demands. Great, now they are laughing at us.  
  
"These primitive beings are so quick to raise their voices." The second voice says.  
  
"Not quiet." Yet another one. "The boy here is an Earthling." WHAT? What does that mean?  
  
"Excuse me, we are on the outer fringe. How can an Earthling be here?"  
  
"I have no answer for that."  
  
"And look at this!! Tetragenes also!!" Now what are they talking about. I'm starting to get a headache. Claude steps up.  
  
"What are you trying to do?!" he shouts. They start laughing again.  
  
"There is no need for you to know. Besides, this planet will soon collide with Nede." What is he talking about?  
  
"Are you trying to destroy this planet?!" Claude shouts. Someone in the back starts laughing.  
  
"Boo-hoo. One planet is sacrificed. We only need it to get back to Nede. Then we can finalize our plans to take over the universe." I can't believe it.  
  
"We won't let you!" Claude, Opera and Ernest say at the same time. I'm glad someone knows what is going on. I am completely in the dark.  
  
"Oh well. Someone humor them." One of them steps up.  
  
"YOU SEEM TO HAVE A DEATH WISH." He says. Another one comes up as well.  
  
"I'll make it short and sweet." He says.  
  
"Don't even bother. I am more than enough for these guys." Another one comes up where we can see him. He is huge! "I am Berle, one of the Ten Wise Men. You should feel honored to face me." Then he attacks!!  
  
  
  
**survive 1 minute**  
  
  
  
Wait, where is he going? We're not done with him yet! I throw another Eruption at him, but he blocks it.  
  
"Sorry, but we can't wait anymore." They disappear. But, less than a second after.....I see a bright light behind my eyes...and I am falling again.  
  
  
  
To be continued.....  
  
I am not sure if I spelled the name of the ship right. I also am not sure on Opera and Ernest's race name. I can't find it around though. 


	24. ch. 24

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. I never will.  
  
  
  
"Come on Celine!!"  
  
"Rachel, I don't want to." I'm going to have a monster headache tomorrow.  
  
"Aw, come on Celine! You're only 21 once!! Come on, get smashed with us!"  
  
"Well, I guess one more can't hurt." I drink down the wine. The room is spinning.......and goes black.  
  
  
  
  
  
I wake up. I am never doing that again. Wait.....this isn't Mars. I think a moment, and the last couple of months slowly come back to me. I haven't had a headache this bad since my 21st birthday. I can't believe I let myself be talked into that......oh well. I slowly get up. The whole world is spinning. Green..I must be in some kind of forest. I lean on a tree to steady myself. This is one heck of a hangover..... but this time, I haven't been drinking. Once the place stops spinning, I look around. This place.....it is really pretty. I just wish I knew where I was.  
  
"ooooooooohhh..." Huh? I look around, and find Ashton lying face- down. I hope that wasn't how he landed.... I go over to him and help him sit up.  
  
"Are you all right?" I ask. He takes a moment to focus, then looks up at me.  
  
"Yeah.....but who spiked the punch?" he asks. I smile and shake my head.  
  
"Wish I knew." I say. Gyoro and Urunun look shaken, but unharmed. I help Ashton stand. It takes a moment for him to become steady. When he is, we finally take a good look around.  
  
"Nice place, wherever it is." Ashton says. I nod.  
  
"Yeah it is, but we really should find the others." We pick a direction and start walking. It isn't long before we can hear Claude's voice. Then, Rena's. We hurry over. The others are starting to arrive also. Precis gives us a dirty look when she sees Ashton and myself arrive together. I think someone's getting jealous.....  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Claude asks. We all nod.  
  
"So, where are we?" Leon asks. Rena walks forward a bit.  
  
"Are we in heaven?" Dias asks. I hope not...that was one heck of a rough landing.  
  
"No. This is not heaven." Rena says. We all turn to her. How does she know? "We are in a place on Nede called the 'Outer Wall Paradise'." SAY WHAT?!  
  
"What?" Leon asks. Before we can make her clarify, she collapses. Claude goes over to her to steady her.  
  
"Rena!" Everyone shouts. Rena just shakes her head and stands up. Then she starts walking away.  
  
"This way." She says. No one moves. She turns around. "Is something wrong?" she asks.  
  
"Rena, do you know this because you are a Nedian?" Dias asks. Rena looks down a bit, then back at us.  
  
"I'm not sure myself. But I feel like somehow, I know this place." Precis turns to Claude, Opera and Ernest.  
  
"They said you guys weren't from Expel too. SO SPILL!" Geez, Precis. Calm down. Claude is turning red. Opera and Ernest just look at each other.  
  
"Well.....I encountered an accident on another planet and was blown to Expel." Claude explains. "Then I met Rena in the Shingo Forest." Precis turns to the other two.  
  
"Your turn." She says. I start to go up to whack her with my staff, but Ashton holds me back. Precis should be thanking him.  
  
"My ship ran out of fuel and I crashed..." Opera says. Ernest looks at her in shock.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that?!" he asks.  
  
"I didn't want you to worry." She responds. Ernest just shakes his head. Precis is focusing on him now.  
  
"I wanted to explore ruins of a Heraldic Civilization, and I found some on Expel..so...." Rena just nods.  
  
"So that's it..." she says. I don't particularly care.  
  
"It doesn't matter though." Bowman says. Dias nods. "You are still friends. We should move on." We all start to follow Rena. At first, we all walk in silence, just taking in our surroundings.  
  
"Is my wife all right?" Bowman finally says. He's right, we really should find a way to contact them.  
  
"They must be!!" Rena says. "They are all probably waiting for us to return."  
  
"Rena...." Claude starts. Opera and Ernest look worried. I wonder what is wrong?  
  
"I know it." Rena says. Claude just sighs. "Yeah, you're right." He finally says. We keep walking. I don't think anyone really knows where we are going. I look up ahead. There is some kind of strange platform there. I wonder what it is?  
  
"What's that?" Dias asks.  
  
"Come inside..." Wait a moment, who was that?!  
  
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Dias demands. The voice is still calm.  
  
"Step into the transporter, and everything will be explained." We all look at each other. Then Claude, Opera and Ernest go up. I sigh. The rest of us step onto it as well. It is kinda crowded. I hold onto Ashton's hand as tight as possible. I don't want to end up alone. Ashton is squeezing my hand also. So he is just as nervous. We just stand there a moment, waiting for something to happen. The my world goes blank.  
  
  
  
To be continued.... 


	25. ch. 25

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Very simple. I DON'T OWN IT!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
The world finally comes back. I look around. There are some strange things here. We are in some kind of dome thing.  
  
"What is all this?" Precis asks. I can't help but wonder for myself. We take another quick look around, then get out of the dome and head into another room.  
  
Now we are in some kind of office. There is a man sitting behind the desk. I believe he watched us come in. In fact, he is still watching us. Something about this whole thing makes me....kinda nervous, I guess. I feel someone squeeze my hand. When I turn to look, I see Ashton is still holding my hand. He seems to be as nervous as I feel. I squeeze back, trying to comfort him. He calms down a bit.  
  
"I've been waiting for you." The man says. Wait, that is the voice we heard that told us to come into that transporter thingie. Everyone else seems to recognize it also.  
  
"You are the one who called us here." Rena says. The man nods. He steps in front of the desk and faces us. For a moment, there is silence.  
  
"Do you know why you are here?" the man asks. We all look at each other. How are we supposed to know?  
  
"We were fighting against some strange people in Eluria Tower, then we ended up here." Claude responds.  
  
"You must have been blown here form their jump." The man says. Then he gets a look of shock on his face. "Oh dear, please forgive me. My name is Narl. I am the mayor of this Central City."  
  
"You mean this isn't Nede?" Rena asks. She seems nervous for some reason. Narl just shakes his head.  
  
"This is Nede. Central City is the capital city of Nede." He says. "Those men you were fighting must have been the Ten Wise Men."  
  
"That is what they called themselves...." Bowman says.  
  
"Who exactly are they?" Opera asks. Narl looks down.  
  
"They are ones who should have never been able to come back." Narl says. "A long time ago, our Planet Nede held influence over about 70% of the galaxy. We lived in harmony with other races and planets." Rena stops him.  
  
"Planet Nede?" She asks. "Why do you stress Planet?"  
  
"Nede is no longer a planet." He responds. "This is an artificial world, 'Energy Nede'." He stops a moment to get his thoughts. I wonder why it isn't a planet anymore? How does a planet just.....stop being a planet? He starts to go on. "During a time of peace, the Ten Wise Men attacked. They were not satisfied with just living in peace. They desired to rule over all. We were at war. When it was finally over, they were sealed in the Eternity Space. Inside this special space, time doesn't exist, and the people inside are unable to do anything. However..during the battle, we finally came aware of ourselves. And our power. We didn't wish for this to ever happen again. So we made a very difficult decision." Narl stops a moment. He looks like it is difficult just to say it. "We all moved to this Energy Nede, and..........destroyed the planet Nede. Once that was completed, we erected this barrier around our new world so no one could ever enter or leave. We cut ourselves off from the rest of the universe." I can't believe what I am hearing.....they intentionally did that? But, if this is all true....how did we get here? How did those people escape? So many questions...and no clear place to start.  
  
"Did you realize that the Wise Men had escaped?" Claude asks. Narl nods.  
  
"Yes, but when we did, it was too late. The path of Expel was already changed too far for us to correct." Oh dear. I am completely lost.  
  
"So why have you summoned us here?" Leon asks. Narl smiles at him. I don't think it is a good idea to patronize Leon...it could lead to injury.  
  
"It is because you all have promise." What does that mean?  
  
"Promise?" Rena repeats. Narl nods.  
  
"Yes. You see, our powers are the same as those of the Ten Wise Men. In the end, the stronger will win. Unfortunately, they have the stronger..." Narl looks at us again. "What we need are powers of a different type."  
  
"So you want to borrow our powers?" Ernest says.  
  
"Precisely." Narl goes back to his desk.  
  
"Well? What should we do?" Dias asks. I am surprised he has to ask.  
  
"Well," Rena says, "If they want to conquer the galaxy, then Expel is also a target. How can we not help?" Narl beams.  
  
"Let's get started immediately." He says. He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a map. "This is a map of Nede. You should be able to read it." Claude takes the map. "First, you should find means of transport."  
  
"Why not just use the transporter?" Opera asks. What, is she nuts? I don't want to do that again....that was frightening! Narl just shakes his head.  
  
"No, they are only installed in major cities. What you people need is a 'Synard'." A WHAT?  
  
"What's a Synard?" Claude asks.  
  
"A Heraldic life form which flies. If you go to North City, you will find a place called 'The Home'. They will be able to assist you."  
  
"Well, let's get going then." Claude says. We all turn to leave.  
  
"Miss Rena...." We all stop. None of us has told him our names....  
  
"How.....how do you know my name?" Rena asks. Narl seems to think a moment.  
  
"Could you stay behind a moment?" he asks. Rena turns to all of us and nods. We all head out into the hall.  
  
  
  
  
  
"How long is she going to be?!" Claude is getting really impatient. I think he has a crush ^_^ . But I won't be the one to say it.  
  
"Calm down Claude." Opera says. Ernest is flipping through some books. Precis is arguing with the receptionist. I don't think she appreciated Precis trying to take some of her equipment apart. Ashton chuckles behind me. It is pretty funny. Finally, Precis gives up and comes back over. Leon takes the opportunity to stick his tongue out at her. Which of course she returns. Real mature you two.  
  
"If we are going to do this we should get started." Claude is still arguing with Opera. While I am debating whether to break it up or not, Narl comes in with Rena.  
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Narl says.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Claude says. Bet that isn't what he's thinking.....  
  
"Sorry for the wait." Rena says. Narl goes back to his office.  
  
"Rena....." Claude starts.  
  
"Yes?" She says. Claude thinks a moment, then shakes his head.  
  
"Never mind." He says.  
  
"Let's go." Rena says. We all head down stairs. It takes a bit, but we finally find our way into the city. We decide to split up and check it out. I decide to just pick a direction.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" Ashton asks. I smile. How can I refuse?  
  
"Not at all." I say. We both head down. It seems like a nice city, but..something still bothers me about it. Maybe...because I am so far from home. Yeah, that must be it. We head into a shop at random. It is the weapons shop. Why not, ours have seen better days. Ashton found something that interests him. I go over and look. A pair of short swords, of course. I don't really see anything special about them, but it looks like he does.  
  
"You want those, don't ya?" I ask. He shakes his head.  
  
"Yeah...but we only have FOL. How can we pay for this stuff..." The shopkeeper comes over to us.  
  
"Don't worry kid. We accept FOL here on Nede. That is our monetary system." Huh? Well, that was unexpected. (A/N: Am I the only one who has ever wondered about that?) Ashton lights up again. I look over at some Heraldic rods. I can see a few I like. But...which one to get..They all have the same power level..I just need to choose which style...  
  
"How 'bout this one?" I turn around, and Ashton is behind me. The shopkeeper has the short swords he chose.  
  
"Why this one?" I ask. He smiles at me.  
  
"Because the color of the jewel on top matches your eyes." He says. I start to blush. "And it goes great with your clothes." Now I am really embarrassed. I can't believe he would think of that stuff! I...I am so flattered! I take it, of course.  
  
  
  
After we pay for them, we head out. We decide to go find a restaurant and get some lunch.  
  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I'VE BEEN FOUND!!!" What the....who is that..and why is she screaming like that? She runs off. Not exactly gracefully...she slammed into a small gate that she must not have seen. Well, we know that there are wackos here too. I decide to ignore it and move on. Gyoro and Urunun are laughing. Ashton is trying to grab them again.  
  
"OK you two. Let's have some peace." I say. They chuckle a bit more, then settle down. Ashton just shakes his head.  
  
"What was all that about?" he asks.  
  
"I have no idea. But I'm still hungry." We look around for a bit more, and then find a nice little outdoor café. A nice little lunch, just the two of us.  
  
  
  
To be continued..... 


	26. ch. 26

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it. QUIT ASKING ME!!!!!  
  
  
  
A/N: thanks for the info koolkitty!! I haven't seen the original Star Ocean. I don't believe it was released in the US....at least I haven't seen it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"That must be North City!" Rena screams. We left at dawn from Central City. It looks to be almost noon now..but I can't be sure. Everything about this place seems.....artificial. It is kind of unsettling. Bowman seems worried. Opera and Ernest are loving this place. I still don't know where they came from. We enter the city.  
  
"OK, so where's that Home place?" Precis asks. She is itching to do something..... I think the equipment here is in serious danger.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!" What? Oh. It's her again. What is with her? Is she following us around? She tries to run off......and slams into a tree. Real graceful.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous. Doesn't she have anything better to do?" Claude asks. I guess he has had an encounter with our 'special friend' too. We decide to just ignore it for now and head farther into the city. We pass the library...then come to a huge building. As we go inside, we can hear all sorts of different sounds. I can't place any of them...  
  
"Excuse me." Claude has gone up to the desk. "Mayor Narl sent us here...." The receptionist looks up at him, then down at her desk.  
  
"Name please?" she says.  
  
"Claude Kenni..." She seems to be looking at something....  
  
"Ah, yes. The director is waiting for you. Please, right through this door." She indicates a door next to the desk. We all head in.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello there!" There is a man in a lab coat here.. "I am the director of this facility. Mayor Narl told me of your arrival." He indicates one of the other people here. "He will be in charge of production of your Synard." Wait....did he just say production?!  
  
"What do you mean, production?" Rena seems as shocked as I am. The director puts on the famous 'lecture face'.  
  
"Yes, they are living creatures, but in order for them to obey us, a master's data is put into their brains." Tell me he kidding.....  
  
"You do WHAT?!" Leon practically yells. Precis puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. There's another pair we need to keep an eye on...  
  
"Don't worry, it's all for a worthy cause." Oh really. It still seems wrong. The researcher leads us onto a catwalk above a huge room.  
  
"Feel free to look around while we get things ready." He says. Then he goes off to another room. We all look down into the room. There are some kind of creatures floating on raises platforms. Are they the Synards?  
  
"Those things look strange....." Bowman comments. I begin to think of something else......  
  
"We need to speak with the people on Expel..." I say. Claude looks at me.  
  
"She's right." Rena says. "To them, it looks like we just disappeared." Now Claude looks worried.  
  
"But...Expel......" Huh?  
  
"What's wrong Claude?" Bowman asks. Claude just shakes his head.  
  
"Never mind." He says. The researcher calls us into the other room. But as we head in, Claude still has that worried look. I wonder what could be wrong?  
  
  
  
  
  
"OK, just step into the other section there, and we'll read your data." The researcher motions for Claude to go into some kind of clear box. Claude sighs, then goes in. There is some kind of beeping noise. "You're finished." The researcher says. Claude looks around.  
  
"Huh? That's it?" I'm surprised also. Claude steps out, and they motion for Rena to go in. The whole process repeats, and Rena comes out.  
  
"Since you are Nedian, there won't be a problem." Huh? What does that have to do with it? "Now the inputting...." Before he can explain it...we hear a loud crashing sound. An assistant comes in panicking.  
  
"THE SYNARD IS OUT OF CONTROL!!" she shouts. "THE HOME IS IN DANGER!!" We all look out, and see the Synard flying around destroying everything. It looks like we have no choice.  
  
  
  
**battle, take a wild guess what happened**  
  
  
  
The Synard is lying motionless on the floor. Oh no, did we kill it? The director is here, as are some other researchers.  
  
"OH NO!" the director says. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" One of the researchers looks ready to explode.  
  
"What do you mean 'Oh no'? You should have known this would happen when you saw they were non-Nedians!" The director is furious.  
  
"Why..you....." The researchers storm out. The director takes a few deep breaths, then turns to us. "I'm really sorry about all that.."  
  
"But..we are the ones who killed when we didn't need to.." Claude says. Oh no....it is dead? Suddenly....I don't feel so well..Ashton comes over and steadies me. I smile my thanks to him.  
  
"It's true we can't try that again...but there is another way." The director motions for us to go into another room. "Come back to my office, we can't really talk about it here." We all head back to his office. But, when we are about halfway there, I could have sworn I heard that weird girl's voice again......  
  
  
  
  
  
**director's office**  
  
  
  
"Not many people know about this, but it doesn't matter now." He nods to a researcher, and he goes off into....isn't that a closet? What is that about?  
  
"Are we doing something wrong?" Rena asks. The director turns away from us.  
  
"Wrong?! You may be saving the universe. Sacrifices may be necessary." I don't like the sound of that. It doesn't look like anyone else does either. "Go through that door and into the transporter. Have everything explained when you get there. I'm sure the Mayor won't mind." He then goes behind his desk as if to say that there is nothing more. We head into the door...oh great. Another of those transporter things. Do we have to? Ashton holds my hand. Well, I feel a little better now. We step inside, but this time, I close my eyes.  
  
  
  
**???**  
  
  
  
"Ummm......Celine? You can open your eyes now." I hear Ashton's voice. I open my eyes, and we are still in the transporter. Wait....the entrance to it is on a different side. I wonder where we are now.  
  
"Thanks Ashton.." I say. We head out and into wherever we went to. It looks like a nice little house. Only one floor, the bed is up on a bunk. And in the doorway....is a very strange person. He looks somewhat like a cat.  
  
"What are you doing in my house!!??" he shouts. We all sweatdrop. I wonder if the director messed up.....  
  
"Ummmmm..we were told to come here by the director at 'The Home'." Rena says.  
  
"Artis...you little....." Pardon? I don't think that is appropriate language for mixed company. "Why did you need to see him anyway?"  
  
"We were sent there by Mayor Narl to get a Synard. But it became violent." Claude says.  
  
"I should have guessed so...So you are not from Nede." He seems to think a moment. "So what you need is a wild Synard." Say what?! Wild..... I'm not too crazy about that idea.  
  
"Are there any wild Synards?" Opera asks.  
  
"He didn't even tell you where you were going?!" He says. I think he is cursing over there....but I can't make any of it out. Not much of a gentleman, unless something the director did made him really bitter.  
  
"Where are we anyway?" Dias asks.  
  
"This is the Endangered Species Preserve. I'm the director and zoologist, Noel Chandler." Endangered.....that means the Synard.....  
  
"Are there any left?" Rena asks.  
  
"Yes, there is one in the deep preserve. When you get there though, you will have to prove your strength." Meaning......what?  
  
"You mean we have to fight it?" Claude says. Noel nods.  
  
"But not just with brute strength, your heart must also be superior. Can you say that?" I hope so. Noel heads to the door.  
  
"Ummmm...Noel?" Claude says.  
  
"I'll take you to the Synard." Noel says. He sounds like he just read his death sentence.  
  
"But there's only one left!!!" Rena shouts. Noel just looks down.  
  
"True...this seems to be their fate." He turns to us. "Are you going or not?" We all start the trek to find the wild Synard.  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued...... 


	27. ch. 27

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it.  
  
  
  
  
  
We head out into the preserve. This place is huge! There are animals everywhere. Most of them run, but a few watch us go by. Noel starts looking around like something is wrong. I wonder what it could be? Finally, we come to a cave. Noel seems to be on the verge of panic.  
  
"Noel?" Rena finally asks. Noel, however, ignores her and enters the cave. We all follow him.  
  
"No............."he whispers.  
  
"NOEL!!" We all shout. This seems to shock him back. He looks at all of us.  
  
"What is wrong?" Claude asks. Noel turns back to the cave.  
  
"The air is thick with murderous intentions!!" he says. "The animals have turned violent!"  
  
"What about the Synard?" Precis asks.  
  
"The Synard is in this cave." Noel responds.  
  
"Do the other animals come into this cave?" Bowman asks.  
  
"No, the Synard is usually the only animal in here." I suddenly get a horrible thought.  
  
"If the animals are violent now....and they meet up with the Synard in that state...." I can't bring myself to finish the thought. I find I don't have to. We all hurry into the cave.  
  
  
  
  
  
This place is huge. It seems like a maze also. On top of that, we have to fight off all of the animals with their new violent streaks. To make it even slower, Noel insists that we give a "proper burial" to those animals we are forced to kill. We head around, and then hear a now-familiar voice above us.  
  
"Ow ow ow ow ow....." I look up, as do the rest of us. It's that girl again. Doesn't she have anything better to do? I don't think she can see us. "Oh, man...I hope no guys are looking...." I think that should be the least of her worries. She runs off again. I just sigh.  
  
"What is with her?" Ashton asks after she has gone.  
  
"Who cares. She deserves what she gets." Dias responds. Thank you Mr. Ice. Opera and Ernest have gone up onto the ledge that she was on. It looks like they have found something.  
  
"Hey guys.....look at this...." Opera holds up some kind of card.  
  
"What does it say?" Claude asks. Ernest takes it.  
  
"'Chisato Madison....Editor's Desk, Nede Chronicle.'" He reads. Great, a reporter. That's exactly what we need right now. We begin to trek deeper into the cavern. It seems like we have to fight more than we did before. Noel, of course, refuses to change his mind, so we have to wait for him to "properly bury" some of the animals. I think someone needs to get out more.  
  
  
  
  
  
We finally make it to the Synard's nest. But it is not alone. There are no other animals here.....but there are a couple of monsters! In fact, I recognize them from Eluria Tower. They are attacking the Synard! We quickly jump in to help.  
  
  
  
**battle**  
  
  
  
It is finally over. They were stronger than I thought. I never figured Noel for such a powerful mage. Maybe I could get him to show me the crests he used. Claude has other ideas. He has his sword out, and is slowly advancing on the Synard.  
  
"Claude!" Opera shouts. Claude doesn't look back.  
  
"But, I have to fight it to become its master....." he says. Rena goes up and grabs his blade.  
  
"NO! You mustn't!" she shouts. Noel comes up to them also.  
  
"Yes, please!! It's been hurt!" Claude slowly lowers his sword. The Synard just collapses. We all look on in shock. Were we too late? Wait..what....two babies come out from behind it. So it was a mother....  
  
"Do you see now....." Noel says. He seems just as surprised at this as we all are. Claude seems to think a moment.  
  
"Yes......I can't.....I can't take a mother away from her children.." He looks down. "I guess I am just weak." I shake my head.  
  
"No Claude. Had you fought it you would have been weak." Bowman says.  
  
"Well, now what?" I ask.  
  
"We will have to go back and see if there is another way." Ernest says. We all turn to leave, but Noel stops.  
  
"Wait!!" he shouts. He goes up to the Synard. "She is trying to say something!" We all turn around, then gasp as Rena goes right up to it and kneels down.  
  
"Rena?!" Dias shouts. Rena seems to be listening to the Synard.  
  
"You'll help us?" she asks.  
  
"Rena, can you understand her?" Claude asks. Rena stands up and nods.  
  
"If you want to understand, you never need words." The Synard stands up and seems to beckon for us to climb on.  
  
"Are you sure we won't all be too heavy for it?" I ask. Rena turns to the Synard. Then she turns back to us.  
  
"She says it will be fine." She tells us. We all jump on. The Synard leaps up, and floats. Noel is watching from the ground. I grab onto Ashton. I never did like heights. Ashton chuckles a bit, then puts his arm around me. Maybe it is my imagination, but Precis seems to be looking at me like I am a traitor....  
  
"WAIT!" Noel shouts. What? We haven't left yet? We all look down at him.  
  
"What is it?" Claude asks.  
  
"Take me with you." He says. We all think a moment.  
  
"What?" Rena says. Noel isn't going to give up.  
  
"The Ten Wise Men's escape and crimes are due to Nedian mistakes. I can't just let you take this on alone!"  
  
"Well?" Claude asks us.  
  
"Mages are hard to come by." Dias says.  
  
"Does anyone object?" Rena asks. No one answers. She pets the Synard and asks if she would mind carrying Noel as well. The Synard lowers back onto the ground and allows Noel to get on.  
  
"Thank you all." He says. We head off to Central City.  
  
  
  
To be continued........ 


	28. ch. 28

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: The same as always. It hasn't changed.  
  
  
  
  
  
We return to Central City. Claude wants to go straight up to Mayor Narl, but the rest of us have other plans. We go up to the floor of the Nede Chronicle. Claude and Rena go on in, but they insist that we should stay out here. How rude. On top of that, Precis is still glaring at me. Well, I may as well get it over with.  
  
"Precis?" I ask. That glare just got a lot more intense. "Is something wrong?" You can't get much more basic than that.  
  
"YEAH, YOU!!!" She hisses. The others have moved away from us. They probably are thinking catfight. But I have no intention of fighting.  
  
"May I ask what it is I have done to offend you?" When in doubt, get extra formal and straight to the point. I am hoping that she will calm down, but alas, that is not to be.  
  
Instead, she points to Ashton. "MINE. Understand?!" I glance over at Ashton. His confusion is clearly written on his face. You need to be a complete idiot to miss it.  
  
"May I ask why you believe this?" I decide to stay formal. After all, you can't go wrong like this, right? Maybe it will avoid bloodshed.  
  
"He loves me. Not some stupid Heraldic bitch!" She shouts. Ashton just goes downstairs. Precis watches him leave, then turns back to me. "Now look what you've done." She turns and goes after Ashton. I can't bring myself to move at all. Is what she said true? Was Ashton just trying to be polite? How could I possibly know? Now that I think about it, he.......he never actually said that he loved me.......can this possibly be true? How would I know?  
  
"Celine..." I turn and see Opera right next to me. "Don't worry so much."  
  
"I can't help it. What if it's true?" I have to force back tears. I never even realized exactly how much he meant to me.....I don't think I ever told him either. So.....now what?  
  
I look over at the stairs Ashton used to escape. Precis is dragging him back up. I can tell he doesn't want to be in the middle of an argument. I wish I knew what to do..  
  
Claude and Rena choose that moment to return. They have that girl with them.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dias asks pointing to her.  
  
"Well, either Chisato here comes with us," Claude says, "or she follows us. Which do you prefer?" Dias just sighs. We all head up to Mayor Narl's office. I drop to the back of the group. Rena must have noticed because she does also.  
  
"Hey Celine, are you OK?" she asks. I just nod. I can't speak....my voice will crack....I don't want them to know I am ready to cry. She doesn't seem convinced, but she doesn't push it either. Ashton.............  
  
  
  
  
  
**Mayor Narl's office**  
  
  
  
"Good, it seems you have managed to get a Synard." Mayor Narl says when we come in. Then he seems to notice Chisato and Noel. "Well, some Nedian help? Good." He reaches into his desk and pulls out some kind of crystal.  
  
"So what do we need to do now?" Bowman asks. Ernest looks like he wants to study the crystal up close. It is kinda pretty..  
  
"You must master the powers of Nede. To do this, you will need to conquer the four Fields." He hands Claude the crystal. "In order to enter the Fields, these Rune Codes are needed. The trials will be difficult, but I am sure you will be able to get through."  
  
"So where are these Fields?" Dias asks. Leon seems to be fascinated with the crystal. He managed to get them away from Claude, and is really checking it out. The kid's been really quiet lately....I wonder if he's all right?  
  
"The Field of Intelligence is to the North, the Field of Power is to the West, the Field of Courage is to the East, and the Field of Love is in the air in the Northwest. You should go to the Field of Love last. It is the hardest of all of them, and the guardian is a bit over-protective." We all head out. When we get outside, we all decide to relax and recharge before heading off. Everyone is doing their own thing right now....what should I do? I walk over to the café where Ashton and I had dinner a few days ago. The place seems mostly empty. I am able to sit outside and watch everything. I don't really feel like much, so I just order some juice. I look around. Opera is complaining to Ernest about something, but they are too far away for me to hear. I distinctly hear the word 'bar' though. Opera must be complaining about no place to get smashed. I look around some more, and I can see.....Precis with Ashton. Both of them have their backs to me, so I can't see what is going on. I look away. There is no point to thinking about it anymore.  
  
"Celine?" I look up from my juice and see Rena. I manage a weak smile.  
  
"Hi Rena." I wonder why she is here? I figured she would be pestering Dias or Claude to take her shopping.  
  
"This seat taken?" She asks. I shake my head. She sits down. "So what's wrong?"  
  
"Is that why you came here? I really don't want to talk about it." I don't see how she could possibly understand. But she is persistent.  
  
"If you don't talk about it, it will grow and grow, and then it will consume you. I don't think you want that." I hate it when people are right.  
  
"I don't know.." What? Like I'm going to cave that easily.  
  
"It's about Ashton, isn't it?" Is it that obvious? I just nod. I don't know....I wonder about myself now. What am I doing wrong?  
  
"Yeah...." I reply vocally. Rena opens her mouth to say something, but we hear a scream. I turn around, and I can see that it wasn't a person's scream....it was Gyoro! Precis must have accidentally crushed him when she tried to get Ashton into that giant bear hug she is still pushing. Ashton is trying to pull away, but not succeeding. I don't know whether I should help or not...  
  
"That's not right." Rena says. She goes over to them and pulls on Precis' hair. That gets her to let go. My curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I follow her.  
  
"What do you think you are doing!?" Precis shouts.  
  
"You hurt Gyoro. Now apologize to him and Ashton." Precis glares at her.  
  
"No. When we get back to Expel, they are getting exorcised, and we will be happy!" She is back to the extra hyper girl. Ashton looks like someone just kicked him in the gut. I go over to him.  
  
"Are you all right?" I ask him. He looks at me, then.......smiles..  
  
"Yeah...but I think a few bones may be broken..." That bear hug Precis grabbed him in must have been stronger than we thought. I help him over to a bench near the fountain. Precis immediately jumps on it.  
  
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU EARLIER!" she shouts. Great, now she is making a scene. Opera and Ernest have come over as well. So now what?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued......  
  
  
  
What? Like everyone is going to be happy-go-lucky all the time. Besides, I like rivalries! ^_^ 


	29. ch. 29

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. So there.  
  
  
  
I stare at Precis. She can't possibly be serious. There is nothing wrong with helping someone. But she seems to think otherwise. She comes up, grabs Ashton's wrist, and tries to drag him away. However, it seems that Opera has had enough of the childish behavior. She forces Precis to let go, and then takes her aside and reprimands her. Ashton sits back down.  
  
"Are you all right?" I know I have asked that not five minutes ago. However, I must make sure.  
  
"As long as I am near you, I can take anything." He says. But.....can I really believe my ears? I look up, and see Precis looking at us. She runs off crying. Ashton shrugs. I just sigh. This can't be happening....I turn back to Ashton. He definitely looks like he has seen better days. Rena comes up and uses her Cure Light to heal him. After a few moments, it looks like nothing ever happened. Sooooooo.......now what? While I am thinking this, Ashton comes and stands in front of me with his hand extended.  
  
"May I?" he asks. I have to smile at that. He can be such a gentlemen. I take his hand and we go off exploring.  
  
  
  
**At the gates**  
  
  
  
"Is everyone ready to go?" Claude asks. Almost everyone nods. I look around.  
  
"Um.....we're missing someone...." I say. There is no sign of Precis. I hope the poor girl hasn't done anything rash....  
  
"That's right....where is she?" Rena is looking around the immediate area.  
  
"Precis is the girl with the Machine Hand, right?" Chisato asks. What kind of question is that? How many people with that kind of equipment on them are there?  
  
"Yeah." We are all staring at her now.  
  
"I saw her stuffing her face with chocolate about an hour ago." Chisato says. I sigh. Figures.  
  
"Where?" Rena asks. Clearly she is going after her.  
  
"Don't bother, I'm right here." Precis comes up. Her voice cracks a bit, almost like she is still crying. She won't even look at me, but she does give Ashton a glare of pure venom. Almost by instinct I reach for his hand. He takes it and gives a quick squeeze.  
  
"Well, then let's be off." Claude says. We exit the city and hop on the Synard. It doesn't take long to find the first field. We land the Synard near the entrance, then head on in. There are three mirrors in front of us.  
  
"There is something strange about this place.."Ernest comments. Opera jabs him in the gut. "What?"  
  
"The whole place is strange. That's what. There isn't any need to point out every little thing." Gee, Opera can be pretty pushy. Precis has run up to one of the mirrors. Something is wrong.....but I can't put my finger on it....  
  
"Hey?! Where is the reflection?!" Precis cries. We all head over. Claude takes out the Rune Codes the mayor gave us. Before our eyes, they start to glow.  
  
"Wha?" Everything starts to get brighter. When my vision clears, we are in a totally new place. It looks like a really messed up maze. I look down, and immediately regret it. We can see right through the floor, although it is marked where we can walk. But......I can't see a bottom. We would fall forever. We walk up a bit, and find two platforms. One is red, the other is yellow. Since the yellow one is closer, we step onto that one. The bright light comes up again. When it clears, we are in yet another area. I look around. In front of us is some kind of pedestal with a large globe on it. I cautiously walk up to it and put my hand on it. It starts spinning, and the stand under it glows slightly.  
  
"So that's what we need to do here." Leon comments behind me. We all head back onto the platform we came here on, but nothing happens. I look down. It is red. I little ways away there is a yellow one. We all head over to that one, and we are back in the chamber we first appeared in, only a different place. I look down. We are standing on red again. Well, now we know what to do.  
  
  
  
**about 6 globes and a ton of angry monsters later**  
  
  
  
Well, that experience sucked. I never expected so many monsters there. They are really testing us. I hope the rest of the fields are not this hard. We are in the first room again. We are standing in front of the center mirror. Now we need to see where the platform that appeared when we had activated all of the globes leads. We step through the mirror and then onto the platform. It is a huge room. There is a raised section in the center of it. But other than some weird things sticking out of the walls, there is nothing special here.  
  
"Well, now what?" I ask. Rena and Claude walk up to the raised platform in the room.  
  
"There's nothing here....." Rena says. Opera has gone to the side of the room. She turns back to us.  
  
"Um...what's that hunk of junk in the back?" she says. I look. It looks like Precis' machine hand, only much uglier.  
  
"INTRUDERS. INTRUDERS WILL BE FORCIBLY REMOVED" Say what? Wait....it is attacking us!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
To be continued....... 


	30. ch. 30

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: The same as always.  
  
  
  
"Ashton? ASHTON!!!???" That....thing.....really took a toll on us. Every fighter is down. The mages are all right though. I hope we have enough Resurrection Bottles. Slowly, all of them get up. Rena comes over to me with the backpack. She hands me the bottle. I pour some of the medicine into Ashton's mouth. After a moment, he wakes up. I am so relieved. I help him sit up. Gyoro and Urunun don't really look too good. But now that everyone is up, Rena has started casting her Cure All. It takes a while, but everyone is eventually all right. But we have no more Bottles, blueberries, blackberries, or herbs. That fight really took a toll on us.  
  
"Celine?" I look at Ashton. "You all right?"  
  
"Yeah..." I sigh. This is way too much. But....there is nothing here. So now what do we do?  
  
"Hey, look!" Rena shouts. I look in the center of the room. The middle of the raised pillar is glowing..what could it mean? Before I can ask someone, there is a bright flash of light behind my eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
"Come on Celine! It's not the end of the world!" Leave me alone. Wait, this is...I was about 8 years old...what is this?  
  
"No! It's not fair!" What a loudmouth I was. Am I still like that?  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" Alexita..I always hated her.  
  
"I'm going to be a famous treasure hunter!" I thought that would impress people....So where did I go wrong?  
  
"You are going to get married and have kids like every other woman in Mars." Grrr...I always hated that.  
  
"No! I can do so much more!" I watch myself run off. I always thought I was smarter than they were. But....was I really? Or was I trying to fool myself...  
  
  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
  
  
I shake my head. What was that just now? A picture.....from my past.... What could it mean? I look around. It looks like the same thing happened to the others.  
  
"Rena?" I look up. Rena is actually on her knees. She looks like she wants to cry. Claude is standing next to her.  
  
"From my past....when I didn't know anything..." she whispers. Everyone is silent for a moment. Then, Leon speaks up.  
  
"Hey, what is that thing?" He says pointing. Claude looks, then goes onto the raised platform. In the center of it is a very beautiful jewel. Claude carefully puts it into the backpack.  
  
"This must be proof that we defeated the Field." He says. Good, because I really don't want to have to do that again. We leave. It is a good thing that the exit from this room is close to the exit of the field. Once we are outside, we hop on the Synard. Now we need to find a city. We desperately need supplies. After a few hours of flying around, we come to......an amusement park?! What the heck is this?  
  
"Claude!" Precis shouts from behind me. Claude directs the Synard down and we land near the entrance. Fine, whatever. I need to relax. We head on in. Claude and Rena go up to the ticket counter. After a few moments, they come back.  
  
"We're all set. We can go in." Claude says. We head up to the gate, and Claude gives the ticket collector the tickets. Then we all head inside.  
  
"Let's relax for a while." Rena says. We all head off in different directions. I decide to make an arbitrary choice and head right. After a few moments of wandering around, I find a fortuneteller! Well, this could be fun.  
  
"Can I help you?" She asks.  
  
"Actually, the sign says 'fortune teller'...." she nods at me.  
  
"I specialize in romantic fortunes. Is that all right?" she asks. I nod.  
  
"Could you tell me if I am compatible with Ashton?" I ask.  
  
"Just hold out your hand." I do so. She seems to examine my palm for a moment. "So, this Ashton is one with a possession....of Dragons no less." I just nod. "He doesn't like to stay in one place for long....but neither do you for that matter." She's good... "You are quite compatible, however, if you do marry, there may be some difficult decisions. So it would be best if you don't rush."  
  
"What do you mean by 'difficult decisions'?" I ask.  
  
"A family for example. Moving around a lot would take a toll on you if you decide to have children. However, his temperament would make it difficult for him to settle down. That is something you must consider." Hmmmmmmm....  
  
"Thank you." I hand her the money I owe, then walk out. This is a lot to think about. Oh dear....I completely forgot to ask her about Precis. Oh well, it will be all right. I hope. I decide to do some shopping. As I turn the corner to the souvenir shop, I end up eating the ground. Whoever tripped me....  
  
"Take that!" Precis....should have known.  
  
"I'm not in the mood Pre." I tell her.  
  
"Don't call me that. And you stole him from me, so now you must pay." I just groan as I sit up.  
  
"Precis, I'll make you a deal." I look up to make sure she is actually listening. She is. "You leave me alone for now, and when this is all over, we can argue about this till dawn."  
  
"How about this one? I get Ashton, you back off!" I just groan.  
  
"How about you go away for a while. Go play in the fighting arena." I get up and start to walk away. Well, until a certain machine hand nails me in the back. I am really not having a good day. But this time, I have some help.  
  
"PRECIS!" Only Opera can reach that high note. I look up in time to see Precis get dragged off by Opera. Ernest is helping me up.  
  
"You all right?" he asks. I nod.  
  
"She is getting annoying." I say. He just nods.  
  
"If you are looking for Ashton, he is in there." He points to a shop. "But..maybe you should stay away for a while." Huh?  
  
"Thanks, but regardless of what just happened, I can take care of myself." He shrugs, then lets me go. I walk in, and I find Ashton and Bowman quickly enough. But.....what's wrong with Ashton?  
  
"Hey Celine." Bowman says.  
  
"Hello. What's with him?" I ask. Bowman just shrugs.  
  
"I was hoping you had some idea." I just sigh. I walk up to Ashton and tap him on the shoulder.  
  
"Barrel." You have got to be kidding me.  
  
"Ashton?" I say. I look at Gyoro. "Do something!" Gyoro just shakes his head. Somehow, I think he has already tried everything he knows. Ashton is just staring at the barrel. I don't get it.  
  
"See?" Bowman asks. I see. So I decide to do something. My father would hate it if he saw me do this. I zap him with a thunderbolt spell. He turns around fast and looks at me.  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" he shouts.  
  
"Getting you back to reality." I reply. "Hobbies are fun and all, but they shouldn't take you THAT far away." Ashton turns the cutest shade of red. I decide that it is time to get him away from Mr. Barrel. I grab his wrist and drag him into the inn. Claude and Rena are already there. When I ask them, they have already rented a couple of rooms. I head up to the 'girls' room. It has been a long day, and I am tired.  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued..... 


	31. ch 31

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: The same as every other chapter.  
  
  
  
  
  
"No, the flowers are supposed to go over there...." I tell the arranger for the hundredth time. This has to be perfect. After all, you only get married once. And it has to be perfect! Ashton will be here soon....and I can't let him see me. That would be bad luck. "Where is Rena!? She is supposed to be the Maid of Honor. We can't start without everyone here!!"  
  
  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" I sit up breathing hard. Someone just nailed me with freezing water.  
  
"No dreaming about MY Ashton." Precis. I really want to hurt you now.  
  
"Don't you think you are just a bit possessive?" I ask her.  
  
"Nope. He's mine. You can't have him." She turns and leaves. Rena comes in a moment later with a towel.  
  
"You aren't hurt are you?" She asks. I shake my head. Royally pissed maybe, but not hurt. If Precis keeps this up though, she may be...  
  
"Does anyone else besides me see how she has been acting?" I ask. Rena shakes her head and smiles.  
  
"Teenage syndrome. It'll pass." Yeah right. Just like a hurricane. I change into some dry clothes and leave. Everyone else is downstairs waiting. They all look up as I come down.  
  
"Are we ready to go now?" I ask.  
  
"Yeah." Claude says. "We really should head to the next Field." We all head out and get on the Synard. After about an hour, we still haven't found it.  
  
"Claude." Chisato says. "Land down there." She points to a huge mountain. Claude shrugs, then guides the Synard down to the base. We all get off. It is freezing here!  
  
"What are we doing here?" Dias asks. Chisato smirks.  
  
"Welcome to the Field of Power." She says. I look up.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" I ask.  
  
"I can't climb that!" Leon yells. "It's too big!"  
  
"Well, I guess that is where the test is." Claude says. He starts up. Then suddenly stops. We all stare at him as a bright flash appears.  
  
"Claude!" Rena rushes up to him.  
  
"It's OK, it was just the Rune Codes." Claude says. We all head up the mountain. I still say it is freezing here. Once we are inside the cave....we are attacked!  
  
  
  
**battle**  
  
  
  
OK, mental note....I can't steal some of their magic. On the plus side, I learned a new spell! ^_^ We head on up. This place is a maze. And the enemies here are even more powerful than before. Three times we have run into dead ends.  
  
"Don't we even get a map?" Bowman asks. I just shake my head. Yeah, we wish. But that would make things too easy. Can't have that....  
  
"Hey, I can see the summit!" Opera suddenly shouts.  
  
"Ummm..sweetheart.."Ernest says. "Maybe you should look in front of you." We all look down from the sky, and see a rope bridge. It may be my imagination, but that definitely does NOT look safe. We all look at each other.  
  
"Well, I guess we have no choice.." Ashton says. He starts across the bridge. I follow him, and the others are behind us. This feels more sturdy than it looks. Which is good, because a giant machine of some kind appears in front of us!!!  
  
"WELL, YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO MAKE IT THIS FAR. YOU MUST HAVE GOOD POWER." Please get out of our way..  
  
"So we pass the test?" Bowman asks.  
  
"SO FAR." Thank you Mr. Optimism.  
  
"What do you mean 'so far'?" Leon says behind me.  
  
"I AM THE FINAL TEST. DEFEAT ME IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE SUMMIT. IF YOU FAIL, YOU LOSE YOUR LIVES." Without even a chance to think.....it attacks!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued.......  
  
I hope this isn't too short or fast......I am suffering major writers block with all my stories......and you would think this would be the easiest to write. 


	32. ch 32

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean in any way, shape, or form.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"LUNAR LIGHT!" I have cast that spell at least 50 times now. This thing just won't quit. Rena seems to have aquired a new healing spell somewhere along the way, which is good........because the fighters seem to really need it. I quickly power up another spell.  
  
"Shadow Flare!" Leon somehow manages to sound semi-calm. However, I am acutely aware that we are fighting on a bridge that really doesn't seem like it will stay up much longer......  
  
"Earth grave." Noel's monotone voice comes through. The spell finally finishes the fight. The giant guardian backs off.   
  
"WELL DONE." The guardian says. "YOU ARE WORTHY OF THE JEWEL OF POWER." And with that, it leaves. What, no good-byes? How rude. We take a moment to just heal, then head up to the alter. But......there's nothing there......  
  
"Oh no.........don't tell me this is the wrong place!" Claude cries. We all just stare for a moment. After a moment, I can 'feel' something nagging at the back of my mind........I can't........wait..........this is like the last........everything goes dark for a moment.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
//What is this?// All I can see is white. Whatever I am supposed to be seeing is slowly comming into focus. It's Cross Castle! But, why? It is the throne room.........There is my mother, my father.........and me.............This is when I was being presented.... I can still remember how I loathed that day. My parents made me get all dressed up. Well, that in itself wasn't so bad........... The part I hated......ooh!  
  
"Your Majesty." My parents bow. I looked at them scared. My mother poked me and pretty much forced me to bow as well. I remember, I didn't see what the point was. The king, of course, acted like he didn't notice. He's a nice guy. I don't mind him at all.   
  
"So this is young Celine." The King says. My parents told me they were taking me to a party. Then they brought me here. I was so mad!  
  
"Yes Your Majesty." Father says. "Allow me to present my daughter, Celine Jules, to Your Majesty." Mother pushes young me forward. I was scared enough without your help!  
  
"Is this child also to be a Mage?" The King asks. My father and mother nod. My destiny was always chosen for me. I couldn't wait to get away. This is my life! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The flashback slowly fades. Ever since that day, I was trying to escape the life that had been chosen for me. I was supposed to be content being a housewife. I could never stand that. But.......was that really power? Or was it just cowardice? My head hurts now.   
  
"Yeah, running away solves nothing....." I look up at Claude and Rena who are standing right on the alter floor. As I look around, I notice that everyone seems to have the same expressions on their faces.....like they have just awoken from a long sleep. Everyone seems more aware now.   
  
"Everyone all right?" Bowman asks. I nod. Claude turns back to the alter.   
  
"Wait, when did this get here?" he says. I turn to him, and there is a red jewel there, just like the one we found at the Field of Intelligence. Claude picks it up and puts it into his pack. Now the fun part.........getting back down. We can't just call the Synard up here.........there is no place for it to land. So we get the joy of climbing back down the mountain, with monsters which really aren't happy with us.   
  
When we are about half-way down, we decide to rest a moment. We find a place which doesn't seem to be crawling with monsters. As we sit down, I look over the mountains. We can see a valley below us. The sun is setting......or whatever they are using for a sun anyway. I feel someone brush my hand. I look over, and see Ashton sitting next to me. I smile and lean against him.   
  
"HEY! What happens if we try for an echo!?" Thank you, Claude, for ruining the moment. Claude, Precis, Leon, and Rena start shouting over the cliff. I just sigh and shake my head. Opera and Ernest are chuckling. Ashton seems torn between sitting here and joining them. I can't help but smile. Dias and Bowman aren't amused. But after a few moments, we are all silent. There is a distant rumbling noise......  
  
"LOOK OUT!!" Leon shouts. I look up and a huge wave of snow is comming right for us!! We all try to run for cover, but we don't make it. We are caught and dragged to the bottom of the mountain. When it finally stops, we slowly get up. No broken bones here............Rena quickly casts a Cure All. I look up, and I see the Synard watching us. If I didn't know better, I could swear it was laughing at us. We get on and head for the nearest city to rest.   
  
  
  
  
To be continued............... 


	33. ch 33

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Honestly. What do you think it could possibly be.  
  
A/N: What do you mean you never go to that part? That's the FUN way to go down!! See your main character get stuck head first. ^_^  
  
  
  
Noel and Chisato have guided us to a city not far from the Field of Power. It's......snowing....I'M COLD! When we reach the city, we all head off in different directions. I head deep in the city. There must be a place to get warm in here. Hey, what's that huge building? I go in. It seems to be a university of some kind. I take a quick peek in a couple of the classrooms. One is taking a test, a pretty big one from the look on the student's faces. Another room is hosting a lecture. Ernest and Claude seem to be taking an interest in it, they are in the fifth row. Other than that, there really isn't anything interesting here. I head out. As I check out the other buildings, I find Dias standing there staring into who-knows- where, Opera is getting herself drunk (again), Noel went into one of the houses. Hmm, guess he knows someone here. I figured Precis and Leon would be out playing in the snow. But I can't seem to find them anywhere. I don't know where Ashton is either. Maybe I should relax in the inn for a bit.  
  
"GET OUT OF HERE!" I turn and see a shopkeeper chasing Precis out of her shop. I wonder what she did now..  
  
"I just wanted to see how it worked...." Precis whines. Oh boy, here we go..  
  
"You should have asked. Now I will have to spend weeks repairing it!" That shopkeeper is not happy. Precis gives her a glare, then turns around. I think she saw me.  
  
"How much of that did you see?" she asks. Decisions, decisions.  
  
"Ummmm....not much..." I really don't want her bothering me. Maybe I can get her to chase someone else for a while...  
  
"Don't lie to me! If you tell Ashton about this, I'll.......I'll....." Ohh...blackmail material. I split a huge grin in spite of myself. She isn't impressed. But instead of attacking, she turns on her heel and marches off. OK then....I head off to the inn. Leon is sitting by a fireplace. He always seems so full of energy...I could never imagine him just sitting there. I walk up to him.  
  
"Hello Leon." I say. He turns around and looks at me, then goes back to watching the fire. Gee, I'm glad to see you too.  
  
"Hi." He sounds bored.  
  
"Why aren't you outside playing?" I ask. He turns to me.  
  
"What are you nuts?" he practically yells. "It's cold out there!!" Yeah, I noticed..  
  
"You don't want to play in the snow?" I ask. This kid is strange. He shakes his head so fast I thought it would fall off.  
  
"No way! Maybe if it warms up a bit I will." He goes back to the fire again. I sigh. May as well give up. I head up the stairs. When I reach the top, I find one, count 'em ONE, room. How does this place stay in business? Ashton is staring out the window. He looks, well, kinda sad.  
  
"Hi Celine." He says. I haven't moved since I noticed him up here. How did he know it was me? Oh well. I walk up and sit on the bed behind him.  
  
"Hi Ashton. You OK?" He just sighs. Something is royally bothering him, and I'm not leaving until I find out what.  
  
"I don't even know where my home really is." He says. Say what? "I never knew my parents, I don't even know when my own birthday is." Ouch.  
  
"You never even said anything...." I whisper. He hears though.  
  
"When I went into Salva Drift, I was hoping that when I slayed the dragon, I would be welcomed with open arms somewhere. But, it seems like I am being turned away more now that I've been possessed. Every tournament I fight in, what's the use."  
  
"I thought you lived in Salva..." Great. Nice move. Ashton just shakes his head.  
  
"That was solely because I didn't know how long it would take to find the dragon." He says stroking Gyoro. Urunun seems to be asleep. Then he looks down again. "When I decided to join you for good, I was hoping it would lead me to find..well, myself. But now...I don't even know where we are..I don't know what's happening anymore."  
  
"Don't worry. Once we get finished with this, we'll go back to Expel, and if you like, you can make Mars your home." I hope this will make him feel better. Besides, if he lives close to me....^_^.  
  
"Thank you Celine." Ashton says. Then he looks over my shoulder. I turn around and see the others coming up. Precis seems like she is hiding something...I wonder.....how much she heard.  
  
"Good, you two are already here. Noel invited us to stay at his house tonight. Tomorrow we head for the Field of Courage." Claude announces. We all head over to the building I saw Noel enter earlier. So, it's his house. Girls and guys split, and we get to bed for the night.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry for the sappy parts... I kinda like the lonely swordsman bit though. But I have a hard time picturing Dias as that role. ^_^ 


	34. ch 34

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Take a wild guess.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Synard has landed just outside of the entrance to the Field of Courage. It looks kinda dark in there. Claude heads on in. The rest of us just follow in silence. There just doesn't seem to be much to say. We search for what seems like hours. My only question is.....where is everyone? We haven't been attacked yet. I hope this isn't a sign of something terrible. Leon and Precis start to complain about stopping to rest a bit, so we do. Until Bowman turns around and makes a surprising discovery.  
  
"Ummmm....what's this?" he says. We all turn around. On top of a pedestal is a small statue. Ernest, being the tallest, goes over to it and inspects it. Then he carefully takes it off the pedestal. No one moves. I realize I am holding my breath.  
  
"If it hasn't happened by now, it won't." Dias says. Everyone lets out a sigh. I guess I wasn't the only one holding my breath. We carefully put it into a pack, and continue on. After getting lost again, we find one of those transporter things...at least I think that is what it is. No one says anything as we step on it. I feel a strange sensation in my body, then I open my eyes again. We are in another room. It looks like some kind of ceremony place. At the far end are some stairs, and an altar of some kind. Like the idiots we are, we walk straight up to it. Just in front of the stairs, I stop. Everyone turns to look at me.  
  
"Celine?" Ashton asks. I take a deep breath. This is not the time to get cold feet. But....I felt some kind of rumbling...Ashton comes up to me and takes my hand. I try to smile, but I don't think I convinced him. But we go on. Claude gets a bright idea and puts the statue we found on the altar. And the earthquake starts! Everyone runs back down the stairs as a huge machine of some kind comes crashing down. The room seems to get darker. Is this.......the Field Guardian?  
  
"YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO MAKE IT THIS FAR, BUT COURAGE WITHOUT POWER IS RECKLESSNESS. SHOW ME YOUR COURAGE!" it says. Then, it attacks!!  
  
  
  
**Major Boss Battle, guess who wins**  
  
  
  
I think I broke something during that. This guy went after the mages first. We were lucky to get out of that one. The guys are still breathing hard. Rena is casting something...but it doesn't seem like her usual Cure- All spell. It seems much more powerful. Which is good... I don't mean to make it sound like I don't want it or anything...oh boy. I need a nap. Can we leave now? After we all get our bearings, we head back up to the altar. At the center of it......is nothing. No Jewel. So now what?  
  
  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
"Celine." Where is that voice coming from? Everything is dark. I can't see. "Can you feel it?" Feel what? Who are you? "You are no longer the little girl." Thank you for the news flash. "Do you have the courage to continue, even though heartbreak may await?" Wha? What does that mean? HEY WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!  
  
  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
  
  
"That was one of the stranger moments in my life." I say. Everyone else looks like they are waking up as well. I look up at Claude and Rena. They were closest to the altar. Rena is on her knees. Is she all right?  
  
"Rena?" Bowman finally asks. Rena is staring at the wall. "The courage to......forsake everything? What does that mean?" she says. Whatever it is, it sounds big. Claude helps her up.  
  
"We better get going." He says. When they move out of the way, I see something very important.  
  
"The Jewel!" I shout. Everyone turns back to the altar. The Field Jewel is sitting on it. Bowman carefully takes it and puts it into a pack. Now the fun part...remembering how to get out of here.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry if it is too short. Having a problem with Mr. Writer's Block again.. -_- 


	35. ch 35

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Read the other chapters.  
  
  
  
"Time to relax a bit." Claude says as we exit the Field of Courage. Three down, one to go. I want a nice, hot bubble bath and a long nap. When I look around, it seems I'm not the only one. We all turn to Noel and Chisato.  
  
"What are you looking at us for?" Chisato says.  
  
"You two are the natives. Where can we go to rest?" Bowman asks. They both seem to think a moment.  
  
"North City." They both say. We shrug, then hop on the Synard and head off for North City.  
  
  
  
  
  
**In North City, Two days later**  
  
  
  
  
  
I feel so much better now. Why didn't they tell us about that hot spring when we were first here? I'm sitting outside of the Inn. Rena comes out brushing her hair. There never seems to be any night here. I wonder how they can live like this? I wonder where Ashton went. I haven't seen him for most of the two days we have been here. I walk into the inn. Opera is polishing her weapon. I still want to know how that thing works, but she won't tell me. She keeps giving me this "culture shock" excuse. Precis is sitting on a bed. I don't like the glare I get when she turns to me.  
  
"Ashton is in 'The Home'." She says. "He likes those...__things__ more than me!" She starts with the wounded heart routine. I sigh and leave. I don't need to see it. Opera can deal with it. Preferably with her weapon. I know that is rude of me to say, but she just......oooohhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I walk out of the inn, and promptly crash into someone.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry..." we both say. I look up. I crashed into Ashton. He smiles and helps me up. We are about an inch away from each other. But before any kissing action can happen, Leon comes rushing through with Claude hot on his heels. Mood ruined again. We both laugh though. We head on in, and go into the separate rooms. I can hear Claude still yelling from the other room. So can everyone else. Rena decides enough is enough, and sends her Silence spell on them. The effect is immediate. So is the rage. Dias comes bursting through the door and starts trying to yell at us. He is thrown out within moments, of course, but we are up half the night laughing.  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued.......  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry this is so short after such a long wait......I won't be able to go much further anyway......I'm stuck in Fienal (sp?) Tower. 


	36. ch 36

Heraldic Mage  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: If I was being paid, do you think I would be here?  
  
  
  
  
  
The Field of Love, huh? Sounds like this one will be pretty easy. We are all riding the Synard to the island suspended in the air. I'd like to learn magic like that. I wonder how much power it takes to keep it up there? Maybe when we are finished I can ask Narl. When we arrive, we have to search a bit for a place for the Synard to land. When we finally do, we all slide off and head to what appears to be the entrance. Like in all of the other Fields, the Rune Codes glow, and we are allowed in.  
  
"This place feels strange." Rena comments. I have to agree with her. Field of Love, huh? Feels more like a Field of Hate. I have a really bad feeling here. Before we can even go a few yards, we are attacked.  
  
  
  
"The (pant) monsters here (pant) are so strong..." Opera says. Like the rest of us, she is exhausted. And that wasn't even the guardian! No wonder Narl wanted us to come here last. Dias is looking like he is daring them to show up again. Rena and Noel are casting Cure Alls and Fairy Lights like crazy. When we are finally able to, we move on. This isn't good. We have to hurry. We walk on. Some of the monsters we can out run. Not many though. We finally make our way to a....what is that thing anyway? It looks like some kind of Temple. But why here? Inside there is some kind of pool.....but nothing else.  
  
"What? No guardian?" Leon asks. Precis is putting her Machine Hand into the pool. Opera and Ernest have stepped back toward the entrance. I can't really blame them. All this way.....for nothing. We all start to head back.  
  
"So you challenge me." A voice says. We all turn around. There is a figure in the pool. Before anyone can say anything, Ashton suddenly appears next to her. It looks like he is paralyzed.  
  
"What do you think you are doing?!" Claude shouts. I start to rush forward, but Dias holds me back. He won't let go!  
  
The figure noticed me. "Do anything foolish, and the boy dies." It says. I stop. Ashton......  
  
"What do you want." Opera demands.  
  
"The Rune Codes. Hand them over, and I'll think about giving the boy back." It'll __think__ about it!? What kind of stupid........  
  
"Just let him go." Claude says. He walks up and hands it the codes. The thing throws Ashton on the floor.  
  
"OK, now I'll kill all of you!" it says.....then attacks!  
  
  
  
**Boss Battle, we all know what happens**  
  
  
  
"Finally." Leon says. I help Ashton up. He looks a bit pale, but otherwise all right. Rena and Noel are using the curing spells again. When we are all fit to go, we get up. That wasn't the guardian, it couldn't have been.  
  
"I wonder....." Claude starts, "I wonder if that thing was working for the Ten Wise Men. It would explain why they wanted the codes." Yeah, it would...HEY! Did we ever get them back?! I look up at Claude. He seems to know what I am thinking and holds up the codes. I sigh. But now we have another problem. No jewel. We can't get the power from......this....... I'm getting dizzy.....Everything goes black.  
  
  
  
  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
"celine....can you hear me...." That voice....it sounds like Ashton's. "celine......follow your heart.....you will need all of its strength to get through the hardship awaiting you. look to your friends....." Hey, what do you mean, hardship? The battles ahead? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! GET BACK HERE!  
  
  
  
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, my head....." I feel something cool on my head. I look up and see Ashton sitting near me. Urunun is blowing cool air at me. Gyoro seems to be concerned, but unsure. Ashton helps me sit up.  
  
"Are you all right now?" he asks. I look around. Rena seems to be in the same state, but everyone else seems fine. I look back at Ashton and nod.  
  
"Can we leave now?" Precis whines. Leon goes back over to the pool.  
  
"Hey, it's the Jewel!!" he shouts. We all look at him, then into the pool. Sure enough, the Jewel is there. Claude carefully picks it up and puts it into the pack. Now it is back to Central City. And hopefully, back home.  
  
  
  
To be continued......  
  
  
  
Just so I don't get complaints about this......in the "black out" sequence, the words spoken to Celine are supposed to all be lowercase. I wanted to make a whispering effect, and that is all I could think of. 


End file.
